|
 |
NancyLee Bergey
Instructor, Science Education
Undergraduate Advisor
Interim Coordinator, Elementary Education Program
|
Education
1975: B.A. Biology, University of Pennsylvania
1979: M.S. Science Education, University of Pennsylvania
Areas of Expertise
Elementary and middle school science education
Teacher education
Professional Biography
Before coming to Penn full time,
Ms. Bergey taught for 29 years in public and private elementary and
middle schools. In this work, her roles included classroom teacher
(elementary), science teacher (middle school), science specialist
(elementary), science coordinator, and ultimately science supervisor.
In all of these roles, she spent at least 50 percent of her time
teaching students. Highlights of this work included teaching Lego
robotics to 6th grade students, designing elementary and middle school
science labs/classrooms developing the curriculum for a K-8 program
across three schools, and coordinating yearly school-wide science
units. The themes for these units included Color and Light, Ourselves
and Others Like Us, Connections, and Cycles, Circles, and Spheres.
During these years, Ms. Bergey also worked in science education
beyond the walls of the schools. She participated in exhibit design and
wrote wall copy for the Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural
Sciences. She taught workshops for teachers and students in both of
these institutions, as well as at the Auerbach Central Agency and the
Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association, and led in-service programs
in a number of schools. Ms. Bergey first served as an adjunct professor
at Penn in 1982 and has also served in an adjunct role at Chestnut Hill
College and Arcadia University. She was involved in the Penn-Merck
Collaborative for the Enhancement of Science Education from its
inception and served as the head of Summer Institute II (Biological and
Earth Sciences) from 1996 to1999. Ms. Bergey worked on the development
of courses for the Middle School Integrated Science Education Program
(MISEP), which provides a Master’s degree with content depth for middle
school teachers at Penn, and taught in that program as well.
Research Interests and Current Projects
In addition to
teaching the master’s degree level science methods courses, Ms. Bergey
coordinates the three new undergraduate minors in education. She is
actively building these new programs, recruiting and supporting
students, identifying appropriate courses, and developing relationships
with schools and teachers. In this context she is developing a new
model for working with classroom teachers and Penn students in methods
classes. This new model, and the use of knowledge-building software in
support of the model, has become one area of research. The use of this
same technology to support and enhance science learning for urban
students by connecting them with students studying the same content
(ecology) in other parts of the country or the world is another
interest. On the physical science side, Ms. Bergey continues to support
the teaching of Lego robotics, most recently through the SPARKS
program. In 2007, she initiated the formation of a Penn student chapter
of the National Science Teachers Association. She has coordinated
volunteers to work on reopening the Alexander Wilson Public School’s
library.
Courses Taught
EDUC 521: Teaching science in elementary and middle school classrooms
EDUC 421: Teaching science and social studies in elementary/middle school classrooms
EDUC 416:Field seminar for undergraduates
EDUC 422: Advanced field seminar for undergraduates
EDUC 515: Field Seminar – Elementary Education (Master’s)
EDCE 705: Internship on Teaching (9th semester undergraduates)
BIOL 501: Principles of Biological Science
Computer Literacy for Teachers (the first “computers in education” course taught at GSE summers 1982, 1983)
|
