Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Patricia Roth

Indian Creek students in Patricia Roth’s biology course learn a foundation of biology terminology and key concepts, and in AP biology students take their learning a step further by applying key concepts through demonstrations and experimentations.

Biology students have been learning about photosynthesis and energy transfer by doing pigment extractions of leaves at various stages of seasonal color-change.  AP Biology students recently completed a unit of case studies that dealt with cellular communication pathways and cellular regulatory systems in real-life medical and veterinarian examples.

A beloved teacher among students, Roth (who was named the 2020 'Face of Innovative Teaching' by What's Up? magazine) says she regularly seeks feedback from students on how they learn best.  “For me, a big part of teaching is listening to the students and getting their opinions on what works for them,” said Roth, who had her students decide the format for a recent test. “The kids asked for something other than a traditional test, so I gave them a choice board with three options. That flexibility and adaptability is key to be able to give kids what they’re learning in different ways so that it works for them.”

A published scientist herself, innovative, differentiated learning is at the core of everything Mrs. Roth does at ICS. In addition to teaching high school science, she also serves as the Director of the School's Blended Learning (BLinc) program. Mrs. Roth has shared her expertise with colleagues and peers world-wide, speaking at Educational conferences about her experience with hybrid teaching and hands-on science projects across the U.S. and in China.