In a tech-savvy age where innovation is heavily endorsed, many are encouraged to utilize technology. Yet, only a few seem to be taking advantage of its benefits.

Biola alumnus- Aaron Sams, 33, who teaches at Woodland Park High School in Colorado, is one of those few implementing innovative teaching.

Presidential Award

Presented with the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by the White House, Sams is one out of only 103 instructors who received this high honor this year. Sams received a $10,000 cash prize and an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C., where he accepted the award.

Sams and his colleague Jonathan Bergmann, who also received the same award in 2002, collaborated on a newer and more efficient way of spending valuable in-class time. This idea came in the form of podcasts.

Multimedia Methods

When Sams initially came up with this idea, he was doing it for his own sake.

“It was out of the selfishness of my own time because kids would be gone for track meets or football games and they would come in after school asking what they had missed. I would have to spend 45 minutes re-teaching all the material I have just taught,” said Sams.

However, what started off as a way for struggling students to catch up soon became the start of a widely accredited teaching approach.

Realizing that chemistry is a subject that can be learned through means other than him, Sams wanted to advocate the importance and the value of class time.

“What do these kids really need me physically present for?” asked Sams. “Because my subject matter is chemistry, they can learn through a textbook, or from Wikipedia; its all the same stuff,” said Sams.

Practical Uses

Sams and Bergmann committed the next year to pre-recording all the lessons using software that could record the screen. From there, they inserted pictures, audio, and media files to enhance the quality of the lecture. Through this, students are now able to work at their own pace. They can rewind, re-listen to, and pause the teacher whenever they please.

Along with teaching his students to view the podcasts effectively, Sams also instructs them in Cornell Notes, a system that allows students to note key concepts and write down questions.

There is, however, one drawback to the system.

“If I’m teaching in class, the kids can throw up their hand with a spontaneous question and I can answer it right then and there, whereas with the podcasts, they can’t,” said Sams.

Shining in the Classroom

Despite this negative limitation, it pales in comparison to the positive effects of his teaching technique.

“I make an effort to talk to every single kid every single day, in every single one of my classes,” said Sams.

He has also doubled the amount of labs and hands-on work the students do in class. In this present-day economy where the student teacher ratio is reaching an all time high, Sams’ personal interaction with his students has had an enormous impact – and others are starting to notice. Sams’ interaction and dedication to each of his students reaches the highest caliber of teaching.

Making a Difference

Sams has seen a monumental difference in the student’s academic performances, and the grades are there to prove it. The majority of his students have risen in one letter grade, although there are a few who stay stagnant in the learning curve. Although results show that not all the students are benefiting from this style of teaching, those who listen to the podcasts in their off time and come to class with questions have readily improved their understanding of the subject.

This technique has been so effective that Sams and Bergmann have not only trained their colleagues in the United States, but have gone overseas as well. Coming back last week from conducting workshops all over British Columbia, Sams has single-handedly trained about 500 teachers in the past three years, and has given numerous lectures to thousands.

He and his colleagues take a video camera everywhere they travel, and shoot video clips of anything and everything. They integrate it into their lessons, allowing their students to experience culture as well.

Sams began as a music major at Biola, but graduated with a degree in biochemistry in 1999. He then returned to attain his masters in education, graduating in 2004. He worked in a lab for a year out of college, unable to figure out his calling. Soon after, he realized that this is what he was called for.

“Having a real solid background educationally, spiritually, and personally, I was able to transition into this career without any jolts, and I’ve been able to pursue it full heartedly since,” said Sams.