Photo by Chris Meyer
 “We have had many good graduate students in terms of teaching elementary science methods, but Judith stands head and shoulders above the rest. She practices what we preach—she teaches ‘how to do inquiry,’ not by lecturing, but by pressing her students to do inquiry during every class.” — William Boone, associate professor of education, IU Bloomington |
It comes as no surprise that Judith Longfield repeatedly wins praise from her students for what they call her positive attitude and willingness to help. One student comments in a class evaluation, “Miss Judith’s energy for science was contagious!” Another wrote, “She wanted me to succeed as much as possible in this course and as a teacher in general. She did anything she could to help me achieve my goals.”
Longfield had an extensive career in education prior to her graduate study in curriculum and instruction at IU, including a master’s degree in educational administration, more than 10 years of teaching K–8 students, six years’ experience as an elementary school principal, a stint as associate director of an educational service center in Illinois, seven years as Chicago regional direction for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Diffusion Network, and more than a decade as a certified trainer of teachers in graduate-level science and health instruction. Early in her career, she’d been recognized with an Outstanding Elementary Teacher of America award.
But Longfield sought a way to study her own teaching and to help her students see that “teacher learning is analogous to student learning.” In fact, effective college teaching practices became the focus of Longfield’s dissertation research, and her work earned her the School of Education’s 2003 Outstanding Associate Instructor Award.
Longfield, who expects to complete her doctoral degree this spring, has a deep commitment to developing as a teacher. Fellow associate instructor Glenn Lauzon observes that “for Judith, ‘education-as-growth’ applies as much to the teacher as to the student.”
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