We sat down with 7th Grade Science Teacher and Science Department Chair Barbra Chabot to find out about her teaching philosophy, favorite memories from her 20 years at Westridge, and vision for our science department.

Tell us a bit about your teaching philosophy. What guides you in the classroom?

My guiding philosophy is that I am educating tomorrow’s scientists and tomorrow’s scientifically literate citizens. I firmly believe that it is imperative we have both influencing the future of our world. It’s important our girls have the tools they need to be scientists, but it’s equally important for our graduates to lead the way by using those questioning and evaluating skills in all aspects of their lives. This is how I can contribute and leave a lasting impact.

When designing courses and lessons, I value scientific thinking skills, collaboration, creativity, effective communication, and making thoughtful choices. I give my students the foundation to continue studying science and take it as far as they desire, and I also provide ways for students who won’t pursue science to connect with the concepts. I think science class should inspire curious questions, and I like seeing where their questions, as well as mine, may lead. I also want to make sure students stay curious their whole lives; when they ask questions, I don’t worry if I don’t have the answer. We explore it together. It’s so important not to be afraid of that curiosity.

You’re notorious for your amazing project-based teaching style! Can you share your perspective on experiential learning?

Hands-on, experiential learning has been my focus for the entirety of my teaching career. From birth, we learn through play and by wondering and testing. It’s how we make sense of the world. As we develop, our questions become more complex, but having the tools, resources, and guidance to keep trying things out is how we develop into lifelong learners. And learning should be exciting and inspiring, so we have fun learning together.

Learning by doing can also be stimulating for students who aren’t engaged by a textbook. There will always be times we need to read and discuss, but it’s motivating to know we’re going to do something cool with it. They know there’s a reason why we’re learning a topic, and they know there are different ways to show their work, whether that’s a comic or skit or pop-up book. I’m all about it!

Developing interdisciplinary units—like water and soil—has also been so fulfilling. Working with colleagues to develop these units exploring real-world problem-solving, we’ve seen students get inspired to continue efforts on these issues for years beyond the units. This year, for example, 7th graders are meeting with the Upper School Glee Club to learn a song [Tres Cantos Dos Indios Krao, a musical piece that transports listeners to a rainforest, inspired by the Krao - an indigenous Brazilian group who live in the Amazon].

Can you share your department’s mission statement and your thought process while crafting it? How does that mission carry throughout grades 4-12?

It was a very smooth process for our department to develop our mission statement because we’ve been talking for years about our priorities and shared values for science education—values that already drive us as we design courses and lessons. We put thinking skills first in everything we do, and I love that we specifically included joy and wonder in our mission statement:

The Westridge Science Department prepares students for lives of meaning, contribution, and impact as scientifically literate citizens. They critically analyze data and evaluate sources to make reasoned decisions and conclusions backed by evidence. Students articulate the interdependence of living and nonliving systems and the human impact on our dynamic world so they can envision a role for themselves in moving society forward responsibly. The study of science provides students with the ability to explore their innate curiosity of the natural world. Using tools of inquiry and collaborative problem-solving, they experience the joy, wonder, and inspiration of scientific discovery and the satisfaction of persevering through difficulties and challenges.

We value making connections throughout the path students take in science—not only asking “how are the concepts connected?” but also “how are we connected to each other?”

If you had to choose, what is your favorite course or lesson to teach?

I have too many favorites to count! When I first started at Westridge, I was teaching 7th grade and two Upper School classes: physiology and marine biology, which is actually a course I created from scratch at the time. 7th graders continue to be my favorite because they’re developmentally mature enough to get into complex ideas, make connections, and are starting to form real opinions about the world (and what they want to contribute to it), but they are also still kids who play and get silly.

I love the cell model projects, the cell cycle stop-motion animations, and all their independently designed experiments. Students get a lot of free choice when it comes to displaying their knowledge; they always surprise me with what they create—it’s usually things I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of. 

Do you have a myth you’d like to bust about girls and STEM?

I think the myth was busted long ago, and we all know now that girls have just as much aptitude for STEM as anyone else. But the fight continues, and representation is not yet what it should be.

I do an activity at the start of each year that explores scientist stereotypes by asking each student to draw what they imagine a scientist looks like. I’ve noticed that the students’ mental image of a scientist has changed over time—they no longer assume the scientist is male, now picturing women as often as men (and in recent years, scientists who transcend gender entirely). This has been a fascinating shift to witness over the last 20 years and is a good sign of progress made. Now, we focus on diversity of identities in science: all sorts of people with different appearances and abilities doing science in all sorts of places, from paleontologists in caves and biologists in a lab to deep-sea explorers and bakers flexing their chemistry skills. They already feel like science is theirs. 

What’s one unique or unbelievable science fact you love to teach?

One of the best things about learning biology is that it shows you how beneficial diversity is. Biodiversity, variation in evolution, genetic diversity—there are so many different living things with different adaptations that help them survive. Ecosystems with diversity are healthier, which is a great model for our human society! I love sharing examples of the diversity of the natural world with my students. One fun example is the system of fungi that communicates in huge underground networks, like a fungi internet!

Do you have a favorite woman in science?

I have so many! I teach my students about Rosalind Franklin when we learn the structure of DNA. I’ve long been a huge fan of marine scientist Dr. Sylvia Earle. Jane Goodall is another favorite, and Westridge made it possible for me to meet her when she came to speak and work with our students early on in my tenure—a cherished memory. And recently I discovered a new hero, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, whose research on coronaviruses and mRNA vaccines enabled her to respond very quickly to COVID-19. This was the fastest vaccine development in history!

What makes science different at Westridge?

Curiosity! Our students are encouraged to ask questions. It’s so important they have agency and choice, and that they can exercise creativity in science class. This starts right away in the Lower School, continuing through Middle School (when they engage in new disciplines), and gets more specific in Upper School (when they are able to focus on more advanced research opportunities of their choice). Our students also collaborate and support each other in their learning; they work together, share ideas, learn as a community, and they see their teachers learning and trying new things too. It’s not about being perfect or knowing all the answers, it’s about learning that can apply across all areas of life.