Science and Storytelling: Dr. Shayri Greenwood Presents the 15th Annual Teri Hassid Art of Teaching Lecture

On Thursday, November 2, Friends Seminary held the 15th Annual Art of Teaching Lecture presented by Science Department Chair Dr. Shayri Greenwood. Titled, “The Joy of Discovering the Story”, her talk delved into her unique approach of teaching Science through the art of storytelling and her belief that students can truly connect with and understand the intricate workings of the natural world by exploring it as a captivating narrative. 

Dr. Greenwood’s lecture provided a window into how she teaches life science concepts to Grade 8 students such that they build scientific connections with confidence through a myriad of inquiry-based, dynamic and interactive learning experiences focused on having her students tell what she likes to call “their science story.” She provided examples from student’s science discoveries following weeks of experimentation for the Middle School Science Night. 

She explained: “I encourage our students to grapple with questions, create hypotheses, work through reproducible procedures and undercover data that tells the story of the overarching theme of their experiments. I also encourage students to make claims, justify their discoveries, but most importantly to practice telling their audience the story behind their work. My main goal as a science educator and as a scientist is to inspire my students to see the world around as one unique intrinsic system whose story is still unfolding and to empower my students to seek the answers to questions yet to be told.”

Her passion for education and encouragement in investigating and building scientific connections through storytelling demonstrates that the complex tapestry of life and its processes can be unraveled and understood in a profoundly engaging way. 

The Teri Hassid Art of Teaching Lecture is in recognition of Teri’s 40+ years of service to thousands of students, mentorship of hundreds of teachers and her always collegial and respectful partnership with administrative colleagues. The Art of Teaching Lecture series was created and endowed as part of the Lift Every Voice Campaign. Teri is a Lower School Head Emerita who retired from Friends in 2014 (and returned to Friends in 2016 as a Middle School Head leave-replacement for a semester). She began her career at Friends in 1978 as a Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies teacher. She left in 1982 and returned in 2004 to serve as Lower School Head.

View more photos from the evening at www.FriendsSeminary.org/Greenwoodphotos 

Previous award recipients include:

Isabel Dominguez: The Joy of Art (2021-22)

 

Stefan Stawnychy: Reckoning with American History (2020-21)

 

Steve Borowka: Drama Through The Stages: Life Skills and Learning Opportunities For All Students (2019-20)

 

Nadim Bawalsa, Balal Joundeya, Joseph Sills, Anna Swank Bothwell: Celebration: Friends Commemorates 10 Years of Arabic (2018-19)

 

Susan Schwartz: The Intersection of Collaborative Relationships And Brain Science (2017-18)

 

Sue Beyersdorf: Multiplying A Love for Mathematics (2016-17)

 

John Byrne: “Accidental Educator” From Ireland to Friends (2015-16)

 

Lauren Cohen, Elizabeth Grossi, Hassan Wilson: Education As A Journey Inward And Outward (2014-15)

 

Christel Johnson: Domina-Virgin-Mater-Trix, Ancient Labels Contemporary Struggles: Tracing The Feminine From Homer To Hilary (2013-14)

 

Courtney Retzler: The Wonder Of Metamorphosis: Monarch Butterflies And The Minds Of Children (2012-13)

 

Charlie Blanc: The Living Constitution: Teaching Law At Friends (2011-12)

 

Fred Schubert: The Atom: A Subtle And Fruitful Idea (2010-11)

 

Maria Fahey: The Teaching Metaphor And Shakespearean Drama (2009-10)

 

Daphne Taylor: Quilt Drawings (2008-09)