Leading Science educator works with GTP students to develop STEM learning skills

Professor Lisa Urry, Northeastern University Biologist and one of the world’s leading Science educators, has launched a program to help Global Teaching Project students develop the study skills needed to succeed in advanced STEM courses.  The program’s initial session, “Metacognition: The Key to Doing Well in Challenging Courses”, was conducted recently, with classes participating virtually from around Mississippi.

Professor Urry is lead author of a series of Biology textbooks used in close to 90 percent of AP Biology classes, and 60 percent of introductory college Biology courses.  She also has written and spoken widely on effective Science education practices.

Professor Urry works closely with GTP and its students to hone their study skills and be active learners in the classroom and beyond.  In her recent session, Professor Urry guided students through a series of interactive exercises designed to help them think about how they read and process information.

To view Professor Urry’s session, please CLICK HERE.

“I have been very impressed by the GTP students”, Professor Urry said.  “The rural students GTP serves are capable of excelling academically, when provided the instruction and supports they need.  I am pleased to be part of an effort to bring that to communities that too often must cope with severe teacher shortages and limited resources. I believe science suffers from the lack of voices at the table, and we’re losing a lot of talent if we neglect students in underserved areas.”

Professor Urry’s learning skills program is part of a larger GTP initiative that brings prominent leaders from many fields to interact with GTP students, typically over dinner that is provided, free of charge, to students and their teachers.  Past speakers include a Nobel Prize winning Physicist, the Director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, the head of Epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, a U.S. Senator, a former Governor, and a former U.S. Cabinet Secretary.

We are grateful to Professor Urry for sharing her insights with our students, and look forward to her next session!