Tisha Morrell

Patricia (Tisha) Morrell has had a diverse teaching background, starting as a high school science teacher in a large, urban, private school in Brooklyn, New York then moving to be a middle and high school science and mathematics teacher in a small, public school district in rural Scio, Oregon. She spent over twenty years working with preservice and inservice teachers at the University of Portland where she also created and directed the University’s STEM Education and Outreach Centre. The mission of the Centre was to assist in strengthening STEM education for the university students, K-12 students, and community teachers. She has worked with state and federal agencies to advance the teaching of science. As a past President of the Association for Science Teacher Education, she works to advance the mission of ASTE which is “to promote excellence in science teacher education world-wide through scholarship and innovation.” She chaired the joint committee of ASTE and The National Science Teachers Association that wrote the current set of standards for science teacher preparation programs. Tisha maintains her teaching certification in biology and basic mathematics. Her research focuses on best practices for science teacher preparation, with an emphasis on professional development, but she also is involved in evaluation and curriculum development.