ARCHIVED—Recipient Bios
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Year: 2000 – Province: Ontario
Certificate of Achievement Recipients
Fred Driedger
School: Kingsville District High School
170 Main Street East
Kingsville, Ontario N9Y 1A5
Principal: Mike Kraus
School Telephone: 519-733-2347
School Fax: 519-733-2631
School Website: www.gecdsb.on.ca/sub/schools/second/kdhs/kdhs.htm
Grades/Subjects Taught: Physics
Teaching Approach:
- Students have to be able to adapt to the changing times and use the technology available.
- Be ready to take advantage of "teaching moments" when they occur.
- Always show students respect. They will respect you in return.
Outstanding Achievements:
Pioneered the use of technology in the classroom, using computers in experiments when most other teachers were still only using them for word processing:
- in 1990, introduced science probes called Personal Science Labs in classroom experiments and encouraged students to use them in their independent study projects; quality of students' work improved dramatically
- later, students used probes to analyze run off from fields for fertilizer residue; went on to collaborate with the International Joint Commission on Water
- one student used probes to analyze car emissions before and after use of a catalytic converter; his research became part of Ford's research data
- when the school board launched a web page, Mr. Dreidger developed a Kingsville Science Department page to showcase new ideas used in the classroom, experiments for students to try at home, and examples of student work; publishing on this page has become a goal for students, resulting in improved student work board-wide
- conceived and developed a new credit course on robotics.
Motivates both challenged and gifted students, using everyday materials and experiences to illustrate concepts and make classes interesting, challenging and relevant:
- attendance rate is the highest in the school and has no discipline problems
- classes have the lowest failure rate in the school
- many students go on to tutor first-year university classmates.
Rave Reviews:
"If Mr. Dreidger is teaching it, you know it's a good course." Student
"I believe Fred's success is because he expects as much from himself as he expects from his students. He is willing to dive in, get in over his head, work hard and come out on top." Corporate education partner