Best physics and math teachers of 2009 named

Five hundred school teachers were winners in the Russia-wide grant competition held for the sixth year by the Dynasty Foundation.
Three of them were awarded a prize for Achievements in Math and Physics Teaching.

The purpose of the competition remains unchanged—support the best representatives of physics and math education in schools, widen professional contacts among physics and math teachers, and develop their cooperation with institutions of higher education and the scientific community.

The teacher competition this year included three categories:

• Young Teacher,
• Successful Teacher, and
• Mentor of Future Scientists.

Prizes for Achievements in Math and Physics Teaching were awarded for the second time in the history of the competition.

Three teachers whose authority is recognized in the educational community and whose students have achieved scientific distinctions far beyond the borders of Russia were named laureates of this prize:

• VASIL’EVA Valentina Afanas’evna
  Angarsk, Gymnasium No. 10 (mathematics)
• GEIDMAN Boris Petrovich
  Moscow, Gymnasium No. 1543 (mathematics)
• TEREKHOV Viktor Maksimovich
  Saint Petersburg, Physics-Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 (physics)

In the “Young Teacher” category, 70 physics and math teachers who recently began their teaching careers but have already demonstrated remarkable effectiveness and methodological competence in working with students in their fields were named winners. The competition received 261 self-nominations (148 in mathematics and 113 in physics) from young teachers in 200 population centers in 61 regions of Russia.

In the “Successful Teacher” category, 30 teachers were named winners by other Dynasty Foundation laureates who received grants this year—young scientists, graduate students, and undergraduates. Successfully comprehending and developing theoretical physics, they themselves had undergone rigorous selection. The “Successful Teacher” competition gave them an opportunity to name their first teachers who had shown them the way.

As usual, the most nominations were in the category “Mentor of Future Scientists” with 397 laureates. This is a special competition—no need to complete questionnaires and file applications—the winners were determined by their former students, now university students. A wide poll was conducted among first-year undergraduate students in science departments. More than 50,000 college students completed questionnaires nominating their best physics and math teachers. The teachers who were nominated by many students became laureates in this competition. They teach in 70 regions of Russia, and more than 45% of them work in villages and small towns.

All the winners of the competition will receive grants of 35,000 rubles, and the laureates of the Achievements in Math and Physics Teaching prize will each receive 150,000 rubles.

The awards will be presented during the traditional annual teacher conference in the village of Moscovski (Moscow Oblast) from June 28 to July 2, 2009.

At the conference, well-known Russian scientists and teachers will lecture on relevant problems in modern science, and special events for exchanging instructional materials will be organized.