Alumna named ‘National Teacher of the Year’ by Physics Teacher Education Coalition

A year ago, Tiffany Taylor, a University of Arkansas alumna and physics teacher at Rogers Heritage High School, was named one of nine local Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) Teachers of the Year.

But this year, Taylor is taking home the top award – she’s been named the 2018 PhysTEC National Teacher of the Year.

The award is designed to highlight the impact of recent graduates from physics teacher preparation programs in the classroom, and winners are nominated by the PhysTEC member institution from which they graduated or received their teaching credentials.

Taylor is a graduate of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, where she received a B.A. in physics in addition to the B.A. in psychology she received from University of Tulsa. She teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Physics and is also the head softball coach at Rogers Heritage High School.

“I was so honored last year, and now to be recognized by PhysTEC as physics teacher of the year, I can’t tell you how much that means,” Taylor said. “I’m incredibly grateful for my students, and to be able to represent the University of Arkansas and those who helped to prepare me as an educator in this way.”

In her role at Rogers Heritage High School, Taylor has sought to improve the visibility of the AP Physics program in a variety of ways.

Taylor said that her teaching style is inquiry-based, because she believes students learn better from interaction than lectures alone. She follows lessons by posting classroom highlights on Twitter and maintaining a blog. This has increased the visibility of the class, as well as participation in the AP classes.

From year one to year two of her teaching AP Physics, Taylor’s efforts increased enrollment from one section of 26 students to three sections and a total of 80 students. In the following years, enrollment increased so much that she now spends each day only teaching AP Physics 1 and 2.

Additionally, 40 percent of her students represent traditionally underrepresented individuals such as women and minorities. Outside the classroom, Taylor also chairs her school’s science department.

Taylor will receive a certificate of recognition from PhysTEC, funding to attend two professional physics conferences focused on teaching and teacher preparation, and a classroom materials grant of $1,000.

Teachers like Taylor are rare as the United States has a severe, long-term shortage of qualified physics teachers. In 2013, the National Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics reported, “the need for qualified teachers is greater now than at any previous time in history.” Of the approximately 1,400 new teachers who are hired to teach physics each year, only thirty-five percent have a degree in physics or physics education.

“Knowing we are preparing graduates like Tiffany to be successful in the classroom and inspire young scientists in the making is incredibly rewarding and important work,” said William “Lin” Oliver, chair of the Department of Physics, and one of Taylor’s former advisors. “We are so proud of Tiffany Taylor and all she has accomplished. Tiffany is also an inspiration to current pre-service science teachers and represents the type of career we hope they can achieve.”

About PhysTEC: Led by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) aims to improve the education of future physics teachers by transforming physics departments, creating successful models for physics teacher education programs, and disseminating best practices. The University of Arkansas Department of Physics was chosen as one of the six inaugural Primary Program Institutions when the PhysTEC program was created. Today, the coalition has supported more than forty sites to build physics teacher education programs and established a national coalition of over 300 institutions committed to improving physics teacher preparation. 

About the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): The American Association of Physics Teachers (www.aapt.org) is a non-profit membership organization working to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching. The AAPT supports the physics education community through peer-reviewed journals, summer and winter meetings, advocacy, and programs. The AAPT represents over 8,000 physics educators from around the world, primarily from institutions of secondary and higher education. Society headquarters are located in College Park, MD.

About the American Physical Society (APS): The American Physical Society (www.aps.org) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are lo.cated in College Park, MD (Headquarters), Ridge, NY, and Washington, D.C