Northwich utor shortlisted for national accolade (From Northwich Guardian)

Northwich tutor shortlisted for national accolade

8:30am Friday 22nd February 2013 in News

A BIOLOGY tutor at Sir John Deane’s College (SJD) has been shortlisted for a national award celebrating the country’s most inspirational teachers.

Bev Goodger, who has taught at SJD for 16 years, is one of two finalists selected for the Society of Biology’s School Biology Teacher of the Year award.

Judges selected the finalists based on their ‘innovative teaching methods and sharing of good practice’.

Bev was nominated for the award by Pauline Lowrie, Head of Biology at SJD.

She said: “Bev is an outstanding teacher whose infectious enthusiasm for the subject has inspired and motivated hundreds of students over the years.

“Her encouragement has resulted in many of our students being successfully admitted to Oxbridge to study medicine, veterinary science and dentistry.”

Bev has also set up a mentoring scheme at SJD called Biopals, runs workshops at local nature reserves with young children through the organisation Watch and assists at SJD’s Saturday Science project with high school students.

Bev was also one of only six teachers invited to attend the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School in Cambridge in July 2010.

As a result of this she developed a highly effective practical that shows differences in temperature between the two surfaces of leaves, which is now published on the Science And Plants for Schools website and was demonstrated by Bev at the Association for Science Education Annual Conference in 2011 and at two events at the University of Cambridge for lecturers of secondary PGCE students.

“I’m absolutely astounded to have been shortlisted for this award, but it’s very exciting,” said Bev.

“I am passionate about teaching biology and feel very honoured to have even been considered, never mind shortlisted.”

The winner of the awards will be announced later this year.