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Teacher Feature
Robin DeVere, Science Teacher, Kenneth Cooper Middle School
When you ask Kenneth Cooper Middle School 7th grade science teacher Robin DeVere how long she’s been teaching, the answer is “since dirt was fresh and God was in the seventh grade!” The actual number of years is 28, 25 of which have come in Putnam City, the last 15 at Cooper Middle School. On a daily basis, DeVere plugs her science students into hands-on activities. Below, she talks about her teaching career and philosophies.
I first heard of Putnam City Schools while I was in high school drama competitions. The students from Putnam City were talented and well coached. I soon learned that this was the case in academics and sports as well. That’s when Putnam City became synonymous with “totally awesome” in my mind.
When I began teaching in Putnam City, Hefner was a junior high and Cooper wasn’t even on the drawing board yet. I began with the wonderful staff at Hefner and transferred to Cooper when it opened. When I taught in junior high, I was completely subject-driven. I almost never sat down with the other teachers of my students. Middle school is totally student-centered. Every day in team meetings, we discuss our students and how to best help them. I am sure that this system is beneficial for our students.
The staff at Cooper Middle School is absolutely incredible. The teachers bring incredible depth and innovation to their subjects, and they really see themselves as a team that functions to ensure the success of the students. Our principals are known by the students because they are always “out and about” in the gym or cafeteria, as well as participating in crazy events at assemblies.
 I must say that over the years I have been part of concocting some pretty amazing extravaganzas. They are almost always a team effort born from an idea someone had after attending a conference. One of my favorites was the Titanic unit done in conjunction with the Social Studies teacher Sandy Campbell and Alternative Education teacher Patti George. The students researched various passengers aboard the historic ship and created a scrapbook of the journey and a porcelain doll with period clothes to represent the real life passenger. In science they worked as a team to design a cardboard boat that one of the team members had to paddle the length of the YMCA swimming pool down and back.
We raced cardboard boats for five years, and during that time I saw some incredible designs and innovative ideas. The students were learning the real-life lessons of problem-solving through this experience. They researched boat design and made blueprints and scale models. Then they conducted experiments using their scale models and various materials and even tested each other‘s boats. Using their data they determined which boat design they finally built and who paddled the boat on race day.
In the past, my students have made hot air balloons while studying the weather. They have grown milkweed bugs to observe ecosystems first hand. They have even panned for gold. This year they have created Paper Pets during the genetics unit, and in May, we will finish up with a CSI unit.
These hands-on activities are important because everyone knows that “seeing is believing.” We also know that passive learning is not an effective method for long-term retention. In fact, we remember 5 percent of what we hear and 90 percent of what we teach to another. And I think that these experiences help to create lifelong learners by encouraging curiosity and providing an atmosphere for asking questions. I want my students to enjoy science. Creating experiences so that I hear my students say “Hey, would you look at this!” or watch them have an “Oh, I see!” moment is my best bet for accomplishing that goal.
I have many students who express interest in science fields. Students have always been interested in medicine for humans and as veterinarians. The media is bringing a lot of attention to the fields of robotics and engineering. Sports science is another new field in which I see students showing interest.
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