John Penick facts for kids
John E. Penick (born in 1944) is an American professor. He teaches people how to be great science teachers. He has taught in high schools, colleges, and universities. He has worked in the United States and many other countries.
John Penick has written over 200 articles and 40 books. He is famous for his new ideas in teacher education. Many of his ideas came from studying excellent teachers. He wanted to learn what makes a teacher effective. He also gave workshops to teachers across the U.S. He showed them how research can help their teaching. John Penick has worked with universities and education groups in 35 different countries.
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His Education Journey
John Penick started his education at the University of Miami. He earned a degree in zoology and chemistry in 1966. In 1969, he got his master's degree in biology education from the same university.
He then went to The Florida State University. There, he earned his Ph.D. in Science Education in 1973. His mentors, like Professor Dorothy M. Schlitt, helped him develop new ideas. He also met James A. Shymansky there. They worked together for many years.
His Career in Teaching
After finishing his Ph.D. in 1973, John Penick became a professor. He taught at Loyola University of Chicago. He also directed their teacher education program.
In 1975, he moved to the University of Iowa. His friend, James A. Shymansky, was already there. At Iowa, John Penick became a full professor. He later became the head of his department in 1982. He worked with Vincent Lunetta to create a program called Iowa UPSTEP. This program helped train new science teachers. During his time at Iowa, his department was very active. They produced many important studies and great students. In 1985, he was a Fulbright Scholar. He taught in Portugal and Israel.
After 22 years at the University of Iowa, he moved again. He became the head of a department at North Carolina State University. This department focused on science, technology, engineering, and math education. He helped his department grow. They got more grants and did more research.
He retired from NC State in 2009. Then, he worked for an education company called Sangari do Brasil in Brazil. Later, he worked for their U.S. branch. He retired from Sangari in 2011. Today, he lives in Miami, Florida.
Awards and Leadership Roles
John Penick has been very active in the academic world. He has served on the boards of many professional journals. He has received many awards for his work.
- The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) gave him awards. He won for Outstanding Research in 1976. He also received the Outstanding Mentor award in 1997. In 1987, they named him Outstanding Science Educator. He was also president of ASTE from 2002 to 2003.
- The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) also honored him. He was president of NSTA from 2003 to 2004. In 2013, he received their highest honor, the Robert H. Carleton award.
- He was president of the National Association of Biology Teachers in 1989. They gave him their highest award, Honorary Membership.
- Epsilon Pi Tau, an honor society for technology education, recognized him in 2003.
- The Florida State University College of Education gave him their highest award. He received the Distinguished Educator award in 1987 and again in 2015.
His Early Life
John Penick was born in 1944. His father was in the military during World War II. Young John lived in Texas before his family moved to Miami, Florida, in 1947. Like many kids, he dreamed of being an undersea explorer, like Jacques Cousteau.
After college, he taught high school biology and chemistry. He taught at Miami Jackson Senior High School. After getting his master's degree, he taught at Miami-Dade Community College for a summer. Then he became the head of the science department at Miami Jackson. In 1972-73, he taught high school biology at Florida State University's lab school. He worked with Professor Dorothy Schlitt and others. They tried out new teaching ideas there.
His Family Life
John Penick married his high school sweetheart, Nell Inman, in 1966. Nell taught English for three years. They have two children: Lucas (born 1969) and Megan (born 1973).
Nell Inman Penick earned her Ph.D. in 1990. She worked as a private therapist for 20 years. Lucas is a private teacher and tutor in science and math. Megan is a lawyer in New York City. Megan and her husband, Yong Jae Lee, have three daughters. These are Juliet (born 2006), Renee (born 2009), and Lia (born 2010).
