Linda Cronin Jones named Undergraduate Teacher of the Year

She co-wrote a field guide to schoolyard ecology, travels to Belize and Uganda to introduce students to environmental science, and asks her science education students to design their own model laboratories for teaching science.

Now Associate Professor Linda Cronin Jones is being recognized as the Undergraduate Teacher of the year at the University of Florida’s College of Education.

“Dr. Jones is a teacher who practices what she preaches,” said Tom Dana, chair of the School of Teaching and Learning. “She is a creative and innovative teacher who sparks enthusiasm in her students and brings the teaching of science and environmental issues alive.”

Dana was one of several colleagues who wrote nomination letters praising Jones, who has taught both undergraduate courses and Science ProTeach students at UF for more than a decade. Drawing on her background in the life sciences (as an undergraduate at UF, she majored in wildlife ecology) Jones has created a number of novel tools for teaching science at the high school level, while finding new approaches to teaching preservice science educators.

Jones has written or co-written a number of curriculum guides for K-12 educators, including a curriculum guide built around the Florida black bear, a guide to teaching about water resources, and a field guide that helps students understand and observe the ecology of the schoolyard. Her curriculum on solid waste and recycling was voted best in the nation by the U.S. Solid Waste Management Association.

At UF, Jones is known for taking science education students to sites where scientific principles are being demonstrated in the “real world.” And she has branched out beyond field trips to the local landfill, designing and teaching courses that take students abroad to reinforce lessons about environmental threats such as deforestation and global warming.

Jones says her teaching philosophy is one that encourages her to be “an entertainer, a sounding board, a catalyst, a resource, an enlightened critic, a talk show host and a coach.”

“I love teaching and I want students to love learning,” she said. “I want them to realize that science and environmental education are exciting, dynamic and fun subjects to teach and learn about.”