Bill Robertson, Ph.D.
Teacher Education Department

Overview of Teaching, Scholarship and Service

As an Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education Department in the College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), my productivity as a UTEP professor has been centered in three distinct focus areas, which form the core of my teaching, scholarship and service. The focus areas are science education, curriculum development, and technology integration. I feel that I have been successful in each of these areas, and have developed a solid foundation within my years as a tenure-track faculty member at UTEP from which to achieve academic expertise and to help undergraduate students achieve success.

I am a constructivist, and my approach to teaching is built upon the ideas of John Dewey and Jerome Bruner. I believe that a learner’s prior knowledge has a pivotal effect on conceptual understandings when encountering new situations. New knowledge builds on prior knowledge, and students should be guided towards synthesizing information in order to develop correct interpretations of content. The classroom environment should foster thinkers who ask questions and look for their own answers. I believe the curriculum should be flexible and multidisciplinary, so that it reflects the integration that is inherent in real life circumstances. My goal is to develop intrinsically motivated critical thinkers and problem solvers who can take the knowledge they have gained and apply it to new situations. My inquiry-based approach integrates research skills and applications, and I believe this strategy best serves our diverse students.

I have designed, administered, and implemented multiple concurrent science and technology education classes and projects. I have taught science methods and curriculum development classes for education majors and minors at all levels of K-12 in field-based teacher education programs, which allowed for the engagement of theory and practice in partnership with the schools. I have also taught classes in Web site development for classroom curricula and the use of problem-based learning as a method for integrating content and process using information technology.

In order to engage our students in deep learning, I have focused on developing products and activities of relevance that integrate science and technology for the classroom practitioner. Primarily, I have focused on teacher preparation in science content, pedagogical methods, and impacts in the classroom and the community. Additionally, I have produced instructional materials in English and Spanish using innovative approaches to exploring science in everyday life, such as the use of skateboarding to teach physics. As a long-time skateboarder with over 30 years experience in the sport, I developed the “Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science,” DVD series, which addresses physical science concepts for middle school students through analysis of the skateboard and skateboarding skills.

At UTEP I have taught students about the integration of technology into the classroom. I have instructed and facilitated computer education and training in Web-based technologies including numerous classes in which students developed Web pages and graphics that were integrated into a variety of educational technology interface strategies, including WebCT and Blackboard. As an educator, I believe in the use of technology as a tool to enhance instruction and learning. I actively design and instruct using Web sites, collaborative workspaces and list servs. I can teach using these tools and actively model the integration of technology within my instruction.

I truly believe our students at UTEP are interested in learning and have a demonstrated commitment to helping not only themselves, but also their families and community in the process. The results I see from the students in class and their growth as they move into roles as teachers and leaders is evidence of their commitment to learning and its impact on their lives.

Previous to coming to UTEP, I was an employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where I worked in science and technology education and outreach. I completed my Ph.D. in Multicultural Teacher and Childhood Education with an emphasis in science and technology at the University of New Mexico in 2000. I obtained a Master's degree in Science Education from the University of Colorado – Boulder, a BA in Spanish from UTEP, a BS in Biology from Northern Arizona University, and a BA in History from Duke University.
UTEP