UHS educator to participate in selective teacher residency program
Uxbridge High School Principal Michael Rubin is proud to announce that science teacher Elliot Lui has been selected to the Teacher-in-Residence program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Lui is currently in his seventh year teaching physics at Uxbridge High School, where he also advises the robotics club and coaches the Science Olympiad team.
“I have personally seen Mr. Lui’s growth as an educator during his time with us at UHS,” said Mr. Rubin. “He is uniquely qualified to identify and support future physics teachers.”
“I want to motivate and encourage more science undergraduates to consider being a part of the exciting and ever-evolving field of physics education,” said Mr. Lui. “Like the rapid growth of scientific advancements and their application to our society and culture, the way science education is being taught effectively is also exciting and rapidly changing. My hope is that I can contribute to uplifting more people whose minds are already bright and innovating into this field and to bring many of these innovative ideas to the forefront of our discussions to help each other to be better teachers for future generations of scientists.”
The Physics Teacher Education Coalition supports this work through its partnership with WPI, with the mission “to improve and promote the education of future physics teachers" in light of the physics teacher shortage in the country. The Teacher-in-Residence program will allow Mr. Lui to be a promoter and mentor for the physics teaching profession, championing the responsibility of educating the next generation of scientists. As part of the role he will remain an active member of the American Association of Physics Teachers, engage and lead the Teacher Advisory Group at WPI, and engage with aspiring educators through the Inspiring and Developing Educators Association (IDEA) at WPI.
Mr. Lui began his career as a teaching and lab assistant, moving into the field of education in a less traditional path. In recent years, he participated in the Masters in Physics for Educators program at WPI.
“What's rewarding about teaching at a school like Uxbridge is there is an apparent level of professional trust towards the educator and their understanding of their content area,” said Mr. Lui. “It provides them with the freedom and opportunities to experiment with different ways of teaching your classes. I know that I've gradually changed aspects of my pedagogical style every year, from Project-based learning, to Standards Based Grading, to Flipped Instruction, and now experimenting with Modelling Instruction. Being able to see students excited, curious, and develop their scientific literacy through effective teaching is ultimately what's rewarding about this job.”
“As we combat the educator shortage nationally, we are grateful to have a tremendous team of teacher mentors and models at UHS, who support each other, our students, the district as a whole, and now the region and nation,” said Mr. Rubin. “For school leaders, it sometimes means working with teachers who can grow into the profession. For Mr. Lui to now pay that forward is the ultimate testimony to the talent our students see daily at Uxbridge High School.”
