Susan Wilson

Susan Wilson

Middle East & North Africa, Morocco, Primary and Secondary Education, 2013

Sue Wilson teaches math, physics, and engineering at Bioscience High School, a full-immersion STEM magnet school in the Phoenix Union High School District.  She facilitates numerous projects in her problem-based Junior/Senior Engineering Pathway course.  She also teaches Freshman Modeling Our World, a block course that integrates Algebra 1-2 and Physics 1-2 through modeling.  Sue serves as Instructional Leader for the school's math department and is leading the development of integrated math curriculum throughout the four-year Bioscience Experience.  Bioscience has 320 students in 9th-12th grades and the average class size is 20 students per class.  Sue is also a co-sponsor of E-Tech, is starting a school Math Club, and leads professional development activities with her peers.  Sue taught at Bioscience HS since 2011; however, she taught 6 years of math and physics at Moon Valley High School and 2 years of cross-categorical self-contained 7th Grade at Desert Foothills Junior High. By participating in TGC, Sue learned about the education system of foreign countries and identified global challenges that can be incorporated into Bioscience's problem based curriculum.

Sue Wilson believes that teacher collaboration and idea exchange is imperative to advancing 21st century education. Sue’s life goal is to better society and the environment by positively impacting the lives of her students and improving the educational system.  In her Global Education Guide, she provides, along with many other global education resources, a discussion forum for teachers to discuss best teaching practices, the state of U.S. education reform, global education, and other topics. A comprehensive unit plan on can also be found in her Global Education Guide. In this 9th grade math and physics unit plan, students connect conceptual knowledge to political events occurring in Phoenix. Students act as government officials and stakeholders to debate local issues while using math and physic concepts to support their ideas. Sue traveled to Morocco on her International Field and provides a collection of resources that can be found on her travel blog.