 Phone:
309-677-3190
Email: rjwolffe@bradley.edu
An associate professor in teacher education and the director of
teaching excellence programs for the University, Professor Wolffe
not only teaches math content and methods courses, but also science
methods, social studies methods, general instructional strategies,
and a course related to issues of classroom management. His service
to the Bradley University community includes work on several committees,
including the University Contractual Arrangements Committee, the
College Elections Committee, and the Elementary Education Committee.
Outside the University, he serves on various school advisory committees,
reviews journal articles for the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, and serves on the editorial panel for The Electronic
Journal of Science Education.
Dr. Wolffe’s research interests are varied and include investigating
ways to use movement in the teaching of mathematics, studying how
the visual environment affects special-needs students’ attention,
and examining whether the type of instruction in math and science
classes affects students’ attitudes about those disciplines.
He is also working with two colleagues on research about the journey
of an at-risk student from educational dropout to exemplary learner,
and a project describing the unique model our College has developed
for implementing professional school partnerships.
Several principles guide Professor Wolffe’s teaching:
- Teaching is a matter of providing learning opportunities that
require active participation in the process by students who are
ultimately responsible for their own learning.
- Teaching is a holistic adventure involving all aspects of a
student—not just the cognitive self.
- Learning occurs best when students feel safe and sense a caring
attitude from their teacher.
- A teacher’s job is to be a thoughtful practitioner, and
what he does for his students should be based on analysis and
reflection of students’ needs and goals.
- Learning is often experienced best in a collaborative, congenial
atmosphere.
Degrees & Certification
Professor Wolffe earned his BS cum laude in elementary
education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1975; his MA in
educational administration from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio,
in 1977; and his EdD from the University of Cincinnati in 1992.
His dissertation, Being a Science Educator: Effects Attributed
to Expertise of Scientific Knowledge, was nominated for the
Alfred Gavin Outstanding Dissertation Award. |
