FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ‘August 30, 2027 Dear Reviewer: ‘Today | write you in support of Ms. Carrie Schultz, whom | understand is a candidate for a biologyylife science ‘teaching position at your high school. Carrie was a student in my Science Laboratory course (PHYS 450) at Ferris, ‘State University during the summer semester of 2017. Although my interactions with her were limited to this course, she was quite comfortable talking to me and | feel that ! got to know her quite well in this short time frame, | must admit being most impressed by the degree to which Carrie accepted responsibilty for her own learning and her personal drive to produce meaningful active learning opportunities in the sciences. These qualities believe, above all others, demonstrate a critical element for becoming an outstanding science teacher. Among the other students who have passed through this course (over many years of instruction), Ms. Schultz has distinguished herself in my memory as someone who would not settle for “good enough". PHYS 450 functions as a capstone experience for students majoring and minoring in science education. In my course, students are required to develop inquiry-based lessons that model the SE Learning Cycle approach to science instruction and meet the performance expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards. (Both ofthese are student- centered approaches to teaching and learning.) Most students at first, weight their lessons heavily towards the teacher-centered model of science instruction and give token treatment to inquiry based teaching and learning. It requires ereat effort to pull them towards a more student-centered approach, which requires more hands-on learning opportunities for students to collect the evidence they need to understand the scientific concept being investigated. Carrie was not typical inthis regard. She embraced the student-centered approach and worked very hard to develop meaningful inquiry based lessons, making use of both structured and guided inquiry techniques. Her lessons successfully blend traditional teacher ed presentations with hands-on student led investigations. Overall, Ms. Schultz has earned my admiration for her willingness to incorporate inquiry based learning experiences into her teaching and elevating student activity above teacher activity in her classroom. Carrie was a great student to have in my class. She challenged me (personally) by setting high expectations for ‘what she wanted from the class, but she also set high standards for herself when completing the course assignments. |, and her classmates, found her to be personable, articulate, and very intelligent. She is principled \when presenting her ideas about science instruction, respectful ofthe ideas promoted by others, and willing to ‘engage in thoughtful discussion about the best way in which to develop effective science lessons. Itis my opinion that Ms. Schultz will not only become a great science teacher, she will also be a competent leader ‘and mentor for her students. She has an engaging personality that motivates those around her to become active participants rather than passive bystanders in the classroom. Carrie is @ conscientious and a highly motivated individual, and | am confident she will excel asa teacher and come to be well respected by both her colleagues and peers. I have no reservations whatsoever in giving Ms. Carrie Schultz my highest recommendation for the teaching position within your academic institution! Sincerely yours, Jeff Christafferson Professor of Physics Ferris State University 520 Campus Drive Phone: (231) $91-2585 Big Rapids, Mi 40907 Email: christaj@ferris.edu Phone: (231] 591-3660 Fax (231) 501-2618 Webs worwferis. ada