His Story
David Brock has taught science for more than two decades and since 1996 has taught at Roland Park Country School, an all-girls school in Baltimore, where he was hired to create the AP biology program. Head of School Jean Waller Brune says he came recommended as “one of those teachers who transform lives.” He teaches ninth-grade biology and AP biology, and he chairs the science department.
His classes start with questions, not vocabulary. Students make vinegar “volcanoes” to work out how enzymes function, test unknown substances to see whether they contain cells, build a 100,000-times-scale model of a plant cell and give tours of it to elementary students, and sort preserved organisms into cladograms of their own making. The year ends with a nationally recognized soil ecology unit in which groups design their own experiments. Students daily sketch and review a concept map they call “The Big Picture,” and they may correct every assignment (“we learn from our mistakes”).
The approach works: five of his former students now earn royalties for ideas published from his classes, others have entered competitive science scholars programs, and his AP students keep scoring 4s and 5s with far fewer lectures than most AP biology classes.
Beyond the Classroom
In 2001 Brock founded the Environmental Science Summer Research Experience for Young Women, a nationally recognized summer internship that lets ninth- and tenth-grade girls from across the Baltimore area carry out self-directed soil ecology research. As department chair he helped build a new science wing, sequenced the K–12 science curriculum to national standards and founded the school’s STEM Institute research apprenticeship program, and he has brought in more than $58,000 in grants.
Since 1993 he has led more than 50 workshops on best teaching practices for the National Science Teachers Association and others. He has written more than 30 pieces for journals such as The Science Teacher and The American Biology Teacher, contributed chapters to two NSTA Exemplary Science volumes, and reviewed work for organizations such as the AAAS and NSTA Recommends. He also builds theater sets and has helped students publish their own research.
Philosophy Into Practice
Brock says he teaches because he wants children to become “worthy, not just worthwhile,” and he believes learning means “making meaning out of” knowledge, not just knowing it. He wants students to leave thinking scientifically and able to “write their own textbook.”
At an all-girls school, he sees his purpose as helping young women pursue their intellectual passions, including science, and he works to close the gap for groups that are under-represented in science education.
“May my students be able to say of me that I gave well.”— David Brock
In His Own Words
“Life is not a textbook: it is an adventure.”— David Brock
“Students need to leave the classroom thinking scientifically, not just knowing some scientific facts and theories.”— David Brock
“I devoutly believe that all children can learn and that all children deserve the best education possible.”— David Brock
What Others Said
“Mr. Brock has been teaching science for 23 years with passion and enthusiasm, inspiring thousands of students and teachers.”— Hector Ibarra, nominator and colleague
“One of those teachers who transform lives.”— Jean Waller Brune, Head of School, Roland Park Country School
“Mr. Brock is the best kind of teacher: the kind that never stops teaching.”— Former biology student
“He sets high expectations and he is there as a teacher to guide and help his students.”— R. Todd and Stacey M. Grandy, parents
“His ability to reach a broad spectrum of learners is nothing short of magic.”— Ninth Grade Level Dean, Roland Park Country School