Gaining Insight Through Tacit Knowledge: Achieving Full Understanding From Learning and Teaching (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781517777494)

In 1964 Ted become assistant professor of physics at West Liberty University in West Virginia. He became chairperson of the physics department, taught astronomy, intermediate physics, and took over the physical science course for students in the elementary teaching degree program. It was apparent these students were afraid of science and as the typical textbooks were clearly inappropriate, Ted discarded the book and created a new two-semester course sequence using inquiry-based, hands on science learning. The students responded well and as a result, Ted became interested in the problems of the psychology of learning. He began a doctoral program in educational psychology at West Virginia University receiving that degree in 1983. An unexpected opportunity sent his career off in a new direction-becoming manager of the new computerized "Laboratory Information Management System" at the New Martinsville Plant of Mobay Chemical Corporation. During his time in New Martinsville Ted volunteered with a Mobay chemist and a math professor from Bethany College to create an experimental hands-on, after-school science program for all fourteen elementary schools in Marshall County, West Virginia. The success of this effort depended in part on receiving a coordinated set of grants, one from the US Department of Education and the other from the National Science Foundation. Mobay (subsequently known as Bayer MaterialScience) took notice of the after-school science program and transferred Ted to Pittsburgh as one of their Science Education Coordinator's helping to guide the corporate science education outreach initiative called "Making Science Make Sense". Bayer collaborated with the National Science Foundation and Ted became involved with NSF's "Local Systemic Change" initiative (introducing kit-based science teaching in school districts around the country). The partnership included associated programs sponsored by the National Sciences Resources Center of the National Academy of Science. Through these links Ted was able to help gain several NSF grants (totaling six million dollars) that triggered a local systemic change initiative in the five counties of the northern panhandle of West Virginia and another one in two counties around Charleston, South Carolina. His interest in problems of education continued at Bayer as a corporate trainer for Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, ISO 9000, and Root Cause Analysis. Ted retired from Bayer in 2008.