I find the opportunity and responsibility of educating our youth to be the most compelling profession.”
Bradford’s Story
Science educator and facilitator for the Patterns Approach Knowles Academy Course, Knowles Senior Fellow Bradford Hill currently splits his time teaching physics and engineering at Mountainside High School, in Beaverton, Oregon, and leading a collaborative, collective impact STEM education project based upon the Patterns Approach. Hill has played key roles in revamping high school STEM education at the district and state level, and more recently on the national level. His work on the Patterns Approach has earned him the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and the Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in K-12 P Physics Teaching. Additionally, Hill published the Patterns Approach in The Science Teacher, an official publication of the National Science Teachers Association.
Hill argues the most notable outcome of his work is students’ reflections on their experiences within the Patterns Approach. “Students are seeing themselves solve problems in their communities through being scientists and engineers,” said Hill. “Better outcomes and growth of students’ STEM identities is evidence that this collaborative, collective impact model is working.” Hill has facilitated hundreds of teachers in making instructional shifts in their teaching practice to cultivate these results. “We had teachers walk out saying it was the best professional development they ever had,” said Dr. Susan Holveck, Science Specialist for Beaverton School District.
His continued involvement with the Knowles Teacher Initiative, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Partners in Science Program, and the Oregon Science Teachers Association have provided both a structure to continue his professional learning and a means to impact STEM education broadly. Hill served as President of the Oregon Science Teachers Association from 2013–2016.
Knowles Academy Courses Taught
Physics for the Next Generation: The Patterns Approach