Unique Teacher, Unique School
Geoff Ryan brings interesting life experiences to his job of teaching science at Central Middle School in Weslaco, Texas. A retired veteran of the army, Geoff continues service as a member of the Texas Army National Guard. Recently, Geoff spent time in Bosnia, heading up a de-mining operation.

His school is interesting, too. Central Middle School is a seventh- and eighth-grade school of 780 students situated six miles from the Mexico border, in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley. A quarter of the students travel with their families to do seasonal work. The school adjusts attendance requirements as well as academic programs to accommodate students who leave mid-spring and don't return until late fall. "Kids who travel for work have a broader view of our country than those who stay put," Geoff says, "We draw on their experiences."

Common Ground
When asked why he teaches about constellations in astronomy, Geoff expressed the need for shared knowledge among students. "When students come in to Central, I can't make any assumptions about their prior experiences. I think it's important to build common knowledge based on direct experience. Here in Weslaco we can study mountains, but we won't be experiencing them. Constellations can be viewed from anywhere in America, right here." Geoff likes the idea that students are thinking about what they learned in school when they're out of school. In his classroom he has a large bulletin board display of the star patterns. "I have kids who come in to school in the morning, and say, 'Mr. Ryan, I spotted Cassiopeia last night!' and they can point it out on the display."

Making Sense of the Sky
Students don't study constellations merely for casual stargazing—they learn that constellations are a construct the ancients used to organize what they observed and to make sense of the unknown. Going beyond the Greek constellation system, Geoff's students study how other cultures have looked for pattern and meaning in the heavens. Finally, as astronomy in the modern age advances to quarks and supernovas, they debate whether constellations still have relevance.

Early Adopter
Geoff had his first experiences with computer technology in the Army, starting in 1984. When he subsequently entered college, he took computer courses, and learned to program in FORTRAN, among other things. His interest in computing really took off when he bought his first home computer in 1992, and Geoff's been using computers in his science classes for the past eight years. An early adopter and confessed tech geek, Geoff has always had an eye out for the newest teaching technologies. "As anything new came along I was drooling for it— panel viewers, LCD projectors, digital cameras, anything that had a useful classroom application." Geoff currently has his eye on a digital video camera and a CD/DVD burner. "I'm tired of trying to fit multimedia projects on a floppy disk," he says.

Applied Technology, Reflective Teaching
Geoff reflects on his teaching and refines it for better results. Experience with student multimedia caused him to reconsider what's important to any science presentation. "I'm shifting the emphasis back to the oral presentation, where it belongs, and kids support their talk with the multimedia, instead of the other way around."

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