Throwing rocks at students is not something most university professors would do, but Richard James Rezba is not your typical teacher.
With his innovative style, Rezba was chosen as the recipient of the Science Museum of Virginia’s Bev Orndorff Award for “Exceptional Service to Public Understanding of Science.”
“We don’t have the luxury of teaching only interesting things, so we have to find ways to teach what must be taught interestingly,” said Rezba, who taught at VCU from 1976 to 2003.
While teaching physical geography, Rezba said he would throw a fake, sponge-like rock at a student to grab the attention of the class.
Rezba called techniques such as this “mind captures.”
“If you don’t get someone’s attention, you can’t teach them anything, especially something that’s going to stick,” Rezba said.
To view “Secrets of the Sequence” go to http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/secretsofthesequence/
Jackie McDonnough is a former student of Rezba’s. Under Rezba, McDonnough studied physical geography and science methods, a subject she now teaches at VCU.
McDonnough said she loved to sit in the front of the classroom because Rezba always was doing demonstrations.
“He used everyday things to illustrate scientific concepts, so I would see science everywhere,” McDonnough said. “He’s been a guide to me, a mentor. I repay Dr. Rezba by being who he was for me to my students.”
According to the Science Museum of Virginia’s Web site, a big reason for Rezba’s award is his role in developing “Secrets of the Sequence,” a string of science video lessons available for free download on the Internet.
The video lessons break down the mysteries of genetics. “Secrets of the Sequence” stems from a television program produced at VCU, which aired a series of more than 150 segments. The videos aired on television, Rezba said, and then the life of the videos ended.
Rezba wanted to find new audiences for these video lessons. The segments were sent out to science teachers across the country, who then responded with their selections for the best 50.
Now, there are 50 video lessons on the Internet for both teacher and student access. Since its inception in March 2004, “Secrets of the Sequence” has been downloaded more than 50,000 times, Rezba said.
Rezba began his teaching career in middle school science. During those years, he also took geology courses at night. His night-school professor asked Rezba to be his graduate student at the University of Florida.
Rezba received two master’s degrees in geology at Florida and then a doctorate at Indiana University. After one year of teaching at Indiana, he taught four years at Boston University before coming to VCU.
Tom Huff, Vice Provost of Life Sciences, has worked with Rezba since 2001. Huff said Rezba has a gift for understanding how to teach difficult concepts in an easy and interesting way.
“I saw him as a teacher of teachers, and he is a master,” Huff said.
Now, as VCU’s director of the Center for Life Sciences Education, Rezba displays the university’s innovations to the public.
“Part of my role now is to make people aware of the great things that go on here at VCU,” Rezba said.
Rezba is in charge of the Life Sciences Annual Summer Workshop Series for teachers. Teachers who attend can earn graduate credit while learning ideas to grab their students’ attention. The fifth workshop will be held this summer. Past workshops have hosted up to 100 teachers from 10 different states.