A 1995 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, John has twenty-five years of experience teaching secondary science and eight years as Science Curriculum Supervisor and Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction for the Grand Rapids Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan. John successfully introduced inquiry-based science programs in grades K-12 in schools in both Michigan and Wyoming. Prior to teaching in the United States, he used an inquiry approach to teach science in secondary schools and colleges in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
He also has a long history of using technology in science education and has been recognized as the IBM Teacher of the Year for Wyoming and as Technology and Learning magazine’s Teacher of the Year for the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest region.
During his time with SEPUP John has contributed to Science and Global Issues: Biology, Issues and Physical Science, SEPUP Science Grades 6 – 8 Texas Edition, and Disruptions in Ecosystems: Ecosystem Interactions, Energy, & Dynamics, a middle school unit aligned with the NGSS and developed in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History with funding from the National Science Foundation.
John received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and postgraduate certificate in education, specializing in the teaching of physics and applied science, from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University