Peel educator Clayton Ellis receives Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM

BY PAUL JIUNOR

For over twenty-five years, Clayton Ellis, Peel District School Board educator has been making a difference in the lives of students through his innovative and revolutionary approach to teaching science. It was fitting that he was recognized for his creativity and originality with respect to the designs of his lessons and impact on students’ lives by being awarded one of the highest awards that a teacher can receive.

He was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM (Science, Teaching, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education. The award is given to teachers that “help develop the culture of innovation Canada needs today and in the future.” The website highlights many aspects of Clayton’s exemplary and stellar teaching career for over two decades.

He started his teaching career with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the largest school board in Canada, and was an integral part of the inaugural Internet think tank in 1998. He is recognized as one of the pioneering content creators of

e-learning in Ontario. The Ministry of Education and Training has been offering learning courses since 1998 and thousands of students have earned their high school credits using this digital learning platform. E-learning has become even more important in the current educational climate as many students are engaged in learning from home in a hybrid-learning environment.

Clayton switched boards from the TDSB to the PDSB and teaches science grades nine to twelve at David Suzuki Secondary School located in Brampton. Information presented on the government website highlights Clayton’s creative and interactive teaching methodology. It notes that, for Clayton, “Science happens in the real world, not just in a textbook or on a chalkboard. His lessons are framed around the 5E Instructional Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), an inquiry-based approach grounded in student-centric learning, to provide engaging learning experiences. This approach is only enriched by his understanding and belief that to truly thrive, students need to be engaged in both cross-curricular and extra-curricular activities.”

As an e-learning resource teacher, Clayton has been involved in “Creating a system-wide strategy that supports hundreds of teachers as they construct blended environments to complement their classroom.” Clayton believes in the power of technology as a tool to enhance the learning of science education. In 1996, he was involved in innovative work in the incorporation of probe ware in the science classroom. This learning tool, “Connects probes and sensors to a computer and allows students to view real-time data in a variety of formats.” In addition, Clayton has utilized diverse digital and learning tools to ensure that students are able to connect science to real-life applications and to reach out to people globally. He has been able to live-stream sessions with scientists researching AIDS, hear from experts in Engineering and Technology, and participate in virtual experiments with students in other countries.

In order to receive this prestigious teaching award, teachers have to be nominated by one of their peers. One of Clayton’s colleagues wrote in support of his nomination, ”When you hear hundreds of students cheering in high-school hallways, many educators rush over to ensure that nothing is happening. When you realize that those same students are enthusiastically performing science experiments then you must be in the halls of David Suzuki S.S in Brampton, Ontario, where students are competing in the annual Science Olympics, the brainchild of teacher Clayton Ellis: STEM educator, mentor, and visionary.

In many ways, this award is an acknowledgment of his hard work, dedication, and passion. He is “a digital pioneer fostering real-world skills in his students to help them succeed in science, math and computer studies.” Congrats to Clayton for being an exemplary Ontario educator.