Innovating Science Education: A Forty-Four-Year Journey of Hands-On Discovery

Joan Gillman’s enduring commitment to student-centered learning continues to shape the minds of future scientists and engineers through rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum design.

Teaching is frequently described as a profession, yet for some educators, it transcends professional obligations to become a lifelong calling. Joan Gillman, currently serving in her forty-fourth consecutive year in the field, exemplifies this dedication. Her career is defined not merely by its longevity but by a consistent evolution of pedagogical strategies that prioritize student engagement, inclusivity, and the practical application of scientific principles. From her early days volunteering in high school to her current role at The Browning School in Manhattan, Gillman has developed a teaching philosophy that integrates hands-on engineering, environmental stewardship, and interdisciplinary study.

Early Inspirations and a Foundation of Inclusivity

Gillman’s interest in education began long before she entered a formal classroom as a certified teacher. During her high school years, a mandatory community service program became the catalyst for her future career. She chose to fulfill her graduation requirements by volunteering in a lower school setting, where she engaged in a variety of educational activities. These included teaching elementary students to play the recorder, tutoring small groups in mathematics, and organizing recreational games on the playground.

Her early work drew praise from school administrators, particularly for her natural ability to foster inclusivity. The head of the school noted Gillman’s specific talent for ensuring every child participated in playground games, regardless of their athletic prowess. This formative experience established a core tenet of her teaching philosophy: the importance of giving every student an opportunity to shine. Simultaneously, Gillman expanded her teaching repertoire outside the school environment. She taught swimming at a local Jewish Community Center, working with children of various abilities, including those with special needs. She also served as a substitute ballet teacher. These experiences taught her the joy of helping children overcome fears, such as a fear of water, and the satisfaction of watching them gain confidence through movement and skill acquisition.

The Formative Years: Learning from Special Education

The trajectory of Gillman’s teaching style was significantly influenced during her pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Education. Her student teaching placement took her to P.S. 47, a Junior High School for the Deaf, where she worked with profoundly deaf science students in grades seven, eight, and nine. It was here that she encountered a cooperating teacher who would fundamentally shape her approach to science instruction.

This mentor understood that abstract scientific principles could be difficult to convey without tangible, physical examples, especially for students with hearing impairments. During an electronics unit, the class constructed a miniature amusement park complete with working rides. Witnessing students apply theoretical knowledge to build functional mechanical structures demonstrated the immense power of hands-on learning. This experience solidified Gillman’s resolve to prioritize experiential learning in her own future classrooms, a practice she continues to employ decades later.

Lifelong Learning and Professional Certification

A commitment to education requires a commitment to one’s own continuous learning. Gillman models this behavior for her students by consistently engaging in professional development. In the fall of 2018, she undertook a rigorous process to become a National Geographic Certified Educator. This certification identifies teachers who have completed specialized training to incorporate storytelling, exploration, and science into their instruction.

The certification process required Gillman to prepare a Capstone video showcasing her classroom practices. She chose to highlight her oil spill curriculum, a unit designed to foster environmental awareness through simulation. In this lesson, students are tasked with cleaning up a simulated oil spill in the science lab using vegetable oil. They must remove oil from three distinct objects: a seashell, representing marine animals; a feather, representing bird life; and a container of sand. This exercise forces students to confront the difficulty of environmental remediation. By struggling to clean these items, students gain a visceral understanding of the ecological damage caused by real petroleum spills. The difficulty of the task serves a dual purpose. It teaches scientific concepts regarding density and mixtures while simultaneously encouraging students to reflect on their carbon footprints and environmental responsibilities.

Interdisciplinary Teaching and Global Impact

Gillman advocates strongly for an interdisciplinary curriculum where learning does not occur in isolation. In her science classes, she deliberately incorporates elements from other academic subjects to demonstrate how disciplines connect in the real world. This approach often leads to projects that extend beyond the classroom walls and into the realm of community service and global citizenship.

A prime example of this methodology occurred during a lesson on water shortages with her sixth-grade students. The class discussed the global disparities in access to clean water. One student, deeply moved by the lesson, was inspired to take action and joined the school’s Green Team, a conservation club led by Gillman. The group researched various organizations dedicated to water access and selected water.org as their partner. The students organized a fundraiser that mobilized the entire school community. They collected donations, created informational posters, and raised over one thousand dollars. This initiative demonstrated that when students are provided with relevant scientific knowledge, they can be empowered to effect tangible positive change.

Fostering Inquiry with the Straw Rocket Unit

To capture the natural curiosity of younger students, Gillman utilizes projects that blend scientific inquiry with mathematical precision. Her Fourth Grade Straw Rocket unit challenges students to design a rocket capable of achieving maximum flight distance. This project introduces students to the concept of variables in scientific experimentation. Students manipulate several factors of their rocket design, including the length of the straw, the number and style of fins, the size of the clay nose cone, and the angle of launch.

The project requires the application of math and measurement skills alongside scientific reasoning. Students must record the characteristics of their rockets, including mass, before conducting test launches. During the outdoor launch phase, they measure the length of each flight. The analysis continues back in the classroom, where the data is reviewed to determine the optimal design configurations. Students then have the opportunity to redesign their rockets based on this analysis. This iterative process of design, test, analyze, and redesign teaches resilience and critical thinking, ensuring the activity remains a memorable learning experience for years to come.

Engineering in the Elementary Classroom

While many educators find it challenging to incorporate engineering into lower school curricula, Gillman has developed a structured approach to bring these complex concepts to second graders. At The Browning School, she leads an engineering unit in the fall focused on skyscrapers and bridges. This unit not only teaches structural principles but also celebrates cultural diversity. Students are encouraged to identify and share information about bridges from their own families’ countries, fostering a sense of pride and connection.

The unit is anchored by a narrative approach known as “The Elephant Project.” Gillman commences the lessons by telling a story about a family of four elephants—a mother, a father, and two babies. In the story, the family is separated while crossing a bridge, and the parents must cross to comfort their frightened children. The central challenge for the students is to design a bridge capable of supporting the weight of all four elephants simultaneously.

Studying Structural Integrity and Failure

Before construction begins, students engage in a comprehensive study of the six major bridge types: arch, beam, suspension, truss, cable-stayed, and cantilever. The learning process is interactive and physical. Students use their own bodies to form the shapes of different bridges, a kinetic learning strategy that helps reinforce the structural characteristics of each type.

Gillman also utilizes local resources to make the content relevant. Discussions often center on bridges the students have encountered in New York City, such as the George Washington Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Whitestone Bridge. Central Park serves as a living laboratory where students can identify various bridge designs.

To illustrate the importance of engineering precision, Gillman shows the class video footage of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster. This historical example of failure demonstrates that even professional engineers face challenges and that structural integrity is paramount. The video serves as a powerful hook to engage students in the seriousness of the design process.

The Design and Build Process

The bridge-building project is a multi-day endeavor that mirrors professional engineering workflows. It begins with a planning phase where students are divided into groups. They must discuss their design choices, justify their selection of a specific bridge type, and create preliminary sketches in their lab notebooks. They also calculate the mass of the “elephants” to understand the load their structure must support.

Materials for the project are sourced through community involvement. Gillman sends a letter to parents requesting recyclable items, resulting in a diverse inventory of building supplies. The list of materials includes cardboard boxes, ribbons, empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls, rinsed plastic bottles and milk cartons, cereal and shoe boxes, string, and soda cans.

The construction phase spans several class periods. Students often encounter structural difficulties, such as sagging cables on a suspension bridge or instability in the supports. These challenges are treated as essential parts of the learning curve. Students must troubleshoot, reinforce their structures, and adapt their plans. Following construction, a day is dedicated to painting and decorating the bridges, allowing for artistic expression alongside engineering rigor.

Conclusion

The unit culminates in a testing day where the bridges are subjected to the weight of the four elephants. Regardless of whether a bridge successfully holds the weight, the focus remains on the process and the camaraderie developed among the students. Gillman’s approach ensures that students mature through the experience, gaining architectural skills and learning to value perseverance.

By integrating narrative storytelling, rigorous scientific standards, and hands-on construction, Joan Gillman creates a learning environment where abstract concepts become tangible realities. Her work demonstrates that elementary education can successfully tackle complex engineering problems when they are framed within a supportive, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating context. Through forty-four years of dedication, she continues to inspire the next generation of problem solvers and innovators.