Frank Ventura : a man with a vision for science education

Abstract

The first time I met Frank Ventura, or Professor Frank Ventura as he was to me at that time, was in his office at the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. We were three student teachers embarking on a new career path, excited, a bit scared and perhaps unsure of ourselves. Frank Ventura would be the one who would accompany us on our journey of becoming science teachers. But who was Frank Ventura and why would he become such an integral part of my personal and professional development as a science teacher, a science educator and researcher? Ventura was first and foremost a scientist, having trained as a chemist at the University of Malta and then continuing with his studies in the United Kingdom. But his love and passion for science made him want something more and this led him to his career in teaching and later on in teacher education. He taught science at primary and post -secondary levels, and his own practical experience in the classroom made him an ideal person to educate future science teachers. At the time when I joined the Faculty of Education, he was in fact the only academic member of staff involved in the teaching of science pedagogy. [excerpt]