Diane Silva Pimentel is the Director of Teacher Education and Associate Professor of the Practice of Education. Her career has focused on secondary science education, but she works towards creating educational settings that support the growth and success of all students by working with pre-service and in-service teachers. A lifelong Rhode Islander with deep roots in her Portuguese heritage, Diane came to Brown as a first-generation student and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Biology. Following Brown, she explored a career in cancer research, had a 19-year career as a secondary science teacher, and earned her master’s degree and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College.
After graduating from Brown, you spent 19 years as a teacher. What drew you to teaching? What led you back to the University?
Since I was young, I was always drawn to teaching. I would help my family and friends with their homework. I get a natural high helping people learn things they thought were out of reach and also learning myself through my interactions with others. As a lifelong learner, teaching was the perfect profession for me. Every day brought new challenges and new ways of understanding my discipline and what it means to be human.
Coming back to Brown was like coming home. My experience as an undergraduate is one of the most significant gifts life has offered me. Growing up the daughter of Portuguese immigrants embedded in the Portuguese community was the initial gift. Then came Brown, which provided a space for me to not only explore academic disciplines, but to learn from students and faculty with similar, and many times, very different backgrounds and ways of thinking than my own. In that way, it opened up my thinking and was a significant contributor to who I am today. Coming back to Brown provides an opportunity for me to give back by supporting Brown’s students as they work towards their goals and dreams.
As the Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching program, my goal has been to develop a program that prepares our graduate students to meet the multifaceted responsibilities of the teaching profession in a way that positively impacts their students and communities. Specifically in science education, my main interests focus on supporting the participation and persistence of underrepresented students in STEM.
What wisdom can you impart on students who are hoping to become teachers? What’s the biggest lesson that you hope students leave this program with?
Teaching is a lifelong evolution. Every day is an opportunity to develop your craft and to learn from your students, their families, your colleagues, and the community. This requires a love of learning, a love of young people, and humility. You have to be okay with knowing that you will never be perfect, while at the same time striving to be the best you can be for your students and the school community. I was a much better teacher and colleague after 19 years of teaching than my first year, but I still have more to learn. Teaching is a profession with many rewards and also many challenges. It is a profession of service to students that brings with it much responsibility. Besides this evolutionary aspect of teaching, I would like our students to know teaching is a political act and their choices as a teacher directly impact our society in terms of achieving social justice and equity.
The Master of Arts in Teaching program has undergone some major changes in the last few months, including the addition of a concurrent baccalaureate/master’s degree option, a one-year teaching residency format, and the inclusion of a math discipline. How is Brown’s MAT different from other teacher education programs? What changes within the program are you most excited about?
There are many distinguishing and exciting aspects of our program: the opportunity to teach right away in Brown Summer High School with daily feedback from a mentor; the small cohort model that provides individualized support and strong peer collaborations; the residency model that allows theory and practice to be integrated, and the development of strong partnerships with our local urban schools. Having our students in schools all year long is one of the most exciting parts of our redesign. It allows a better integration of theory and practice. This aspect of staying grounded in the classroom while learning about developing lessons that support students with diverse learning needs is a fundamental aspect of our program. It also provides our MATs an opportunity to become part of the school community and learn from it more fully.
Speaking of the new concurrent baccalaureate/MAT degree, why should current Brown undergraduates consider the program, even if they’re not Education Studies concentrators?
The new concurrent baccalaureate/MAT degree allows students many advantages if they are interested in entering a teaching pathway. Once students are accepted, they are qualified to take two MAT courses during their senior year that would reduce their course load during the MAT year. This would provide both a course load reduction benefit and a financial benefit. Students who are admitted into this degree pathway would be provided significant advising related to coursework in order to make sure they were meeting the disciplinary requirements for certification. They would also be made aware of teaching opportunities that support their development. This route is open to individuals concentrating in any discipline related to the specialization areas of our program: English, Social Studies, Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics/Engineering) and Mathematics. I encourage students who are interested in knowing about our program to reach out to for more information.