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Springfield College Spotlight: Bob Barkman

A Passion for Teaching

Dr. Robert Barkman Professor of
Education and Biology;
Department Chair
rbarkman@spfldcol.edu
413.748.3734

From counting rings on fish otoliths to investigating how students learn is a long journey, but Bob Barkman, professor of education and biology, has traveled that distance smoothly in his career at Springfield College. Dr. Barkman, professor of education and biology and chair of the education department, did much of his doctoral work and research in the area of fish ecology, and he began his career at Springfield teaching biology. In the last 10 or 15 years, however, Professor Barkman s interests have increasingly turned to science education. “I have a passion to teach, and I m curious about how students learn,” he explains.

Professor Barkman’s change of direction began with a harsh realization early in his teaching career: “The students in my classes were bored, and it was because of me!” In an effort to learn more about how to engage students in learning about science, he created a lab school at Springfield called Real World Science. As he experimented with different ways of teaching, he began to see the power of active learning.

“That was a pivotal point for me,” Professor Barkman says, “and I began moving further in that direction.” In recent years, his interest has led to various projects aimed at improving science education. He has been funded by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education to infuse more science into preservice and inservice training for teachers and also for a three-year project to help teachers recognize and change scientific misconceptions.

Dr. Barkman is especially interested in the concept of “naturalist intelligence” an eighth category added to Howard Gardiner’s framework of multiple intelligences. Barkman explains, “Some people love to be outside, and they are able to see patterns in nature that others might miss. This particular competence has led to some major discoveries in science.” His book, Science Through Multiple Intelligences, published in 2000, reflected this interest. He exposes his students to the application of the naturalist intelligence concept through firsthand experience. In his course Best Practices in Teaching Science, he brings young children into class once a week and encourages his students to take them outdoors to study and experience nature directly.

As chair of the education department, Professor Barkman oversees programs that prepare preservice teachers who will work in settings ranging from early childhood classrooms to high school, with secondary-level concentrations in biology, earth science and math. He points to the College s strong science infrastructure as a major factor in the strong preparation his students receive. “Our faculty is strong broad and deep,” he says, “and highly interested in teaching.