Dr. Richard A. NeSmith

Beware of winning a tactical victory if it means suffering a strategic defeat. 

About Me 

My Mission and Vision Statement

I am a lifelong learner. I have spent much of my life preparing and training and reading so as to: 1) fit together the puzzle we call "life," and, 2) to learn how we best learn in order to help teachers and students improve achievement and comprehension of basic concepts which not only help them to become lifelong learners, but to be successful at whatever it is they chose vocationally; and, 3) to transfer my passion of science to students and future teachers.

I believe that all students can learn and that all teachers can be successful in providing the opportunities for students to excel and to find their niche in life and society. I do not believe that our American system of education is conducive to reaching these goals. With this in mind, I seek to stay abreast of current research, particularly in the areas of Learning Theory, Science Education, and Educational Technology.  I attempt to motivate, inform, and cause educational debate about "what could be" in comparison to "what really is." I oppose the status quo and mindset that thinks "if it is not broken, don't fix it," for I believe everything we do has room for improvement in some way, shape or form. I also see as part of my life's mission to remind the bureaucracy that what is expedient may not be what is best for our students. 

  My Philosophy of Learning and Education

I am student-oriented but more accurately I am "learning-oriented" and a constructivist in my understanding of learning. Learning, I believe, is the process by which a teacher determines what a  student knows and then seeks to help the student discover new facts, truths, and concepts by making the new information personal and relevant to the student, using the student’s background knowledge. Learning requires addressing both knowledge (i.e., cognitive domain), and attitudes (i.e., affective domain) of the learner so as to make impressionable (neuronal synapses) connections in the brain to facilitate memory, recall and application. Learning is also facilitated by addressing the psychomotor domain in that students learn best while being actively engaged and involved, and this can easily be accomplished in most classrooms. Learning requires teaching by way of utilizing a numerous variety of teaching strategies in order to reach the learner where they are and via the preferred modalities and intelligences. What is important is not emphasizing memorization (though there are certainly facts that need to be memorized and mastered) but in helping the student to make application, synthesis, and evaluation with the data encountered. Materials, facts, and concepts that students can relate to their previous knowledge/experience are more easily recalled and applied to real life situations, simply because the brain has made multiple connections to the information.

I encourage teachers to use multimedia: PowerPoint presentations, the Internet, packaged and teacher-made tutorials, to produce their own web-based lessons, websites, and other various technologies such as digital cameras, videos, scanners and CD/DVD-ROMS. In nearly every class an attempt to have some means of application is needed, which might come in the form of collaborative learning, demonstrations, laboratory exercises, or students themselves teaching or making presentations to their peers and others. Attempting to provide ample open-ended questions and scenarios requiring student thought, reflections and creativity is vital.  I always seek to develop a good rapport with teachers, students, parents, and the community, and they have access to me as needed, during office hours, and during all hours thanks to E-mail technology. My own classes, I have been told, are challenging, but manageable and students generally feel they are prepared when they complete my course. My graduate teachers (practicing classroom teachers for the most part) are pleased with the learning environment, the collaborative-style leadership and opportunities, and the respect I give to them as professionals. I believe these attribute are easily transferable to the building level. My goal and intention is to create a learning community which incorporates all parties, including teachers, students, parents/families, and the community. Every student can learn but we cannot expect them all to learn in the same manner or fashion…they need a sense of individualized concern and encouragement.

I believe there are effective teachers and ineffective teachers. Effecitve teachers differ in their paradigm of education and have very different practices. These are not original with me but soundly summarize my thoughts and philosophy on successful education. I believe that effective teachers...

• are competent in subject matter.
• use the students' everyday experiences to link new concepts to prior knowledge and culture.
• accept and build on students' ideas and language.
• communicate clearly when giving directions, specifying tasks and providing new information.
• pace instruction appropriately.
• provide all students with access to high-status knowledge.
• specify task outcomes and what students must do to accomplish the tasks.
• regularly monitor student progress.
• stress problem solving and critical thinking.
• have appropriately high standards and expectations for their students.
• promote active student involvement.
• provide immediate feedback on students' success, whenever required.
• are caring individuals who show compassion towards, but require accountability from, their students.

My Research Interests

My Publications

Primary Interests:

1. Brain-based learning
2. Classroom learning environments
3. Student perceptions of effective teaching and learning
4. Learning styles & Multiple Intelligences

Secondary Interestes:

5. Use of multimedia in the classroom
6. Curriculum development and educational administration
7. How to provide student-teachers with meaningful teaching experiences
8. Distance learning via the Internet.