Dr. Paul Vermette

Dr. Paul Vermette has been a professional educator since l971. He has served as a teacher and supervisor of Social Studies in public and parochial schools in New York and New Jersey and has been at Niagara in a full-time capacity since l985. He has authored (or co-authored) three texts on learning from teaching and is the author of over twenty articles on the topics of constructivism, cooperative learning and concept learning. He also has been highly a highly visible advocate for teacher professional growth, conducting numerous workshops and serving as a consultant on both sides of the US-Canadian border. Vermette has served in various capacities for external agencies and organizations and was President of the Executive Board of New York State ATE in the early 90’s. At Niagara, Vermette teaches courses in instructional methods, curriculum planning, teaching for diversity and has played a role in the development of the CCTL, a committee that has been instrumental in the creation of the “active & integrated” philosophy that marks the institution’s commitment to quality teaching.
The native Western New Yorker and former football coach has been married to Kathleen since l970, and the couple’s one child, Matthew, is an NU grad who is now a local teacher.

Amongst his finest articles are the following:

Vermette, P.J. and Foote, C.J. (2001). Constructivist Philosophy and cooperative learning practice, American Secondary Education, 30,1,26-37.

Vermette, P.J. (l994, March). Four fatal flaws: Avoiding the common mistakes of novice users of cooperative learning, The High School Journal, 255-260.

Vermette, P.J., Foote, C.J., Battaglia, C.,Mesibov, D., Bird, C., and Harris-Ewing, S. (2000) Understanding constructivism(s): A primer for parents and school board members,
Education, 122, 1, 87-93.

Vermette, P. (l984, October). A generalized model for high school concept instruction, The HighSchool Journal,
 

Applying Standards-Based Constructivism: A Two-Step Guide for Motivating Elementary Students

Constructivist Conference  

Amongst Vermette’s many projects and activities is his decade-long involvement in the powerful week-long Constructivist Conference hosted by the joint efforts of the Institute for Learning Centered Education, Niagara University and St. Lawrence University. This year’s conference is set for July 23-27, 2007,  here at the Grand Island Holiday Inn. Because of  this interactive conference, engaging teaching strategies (such as Cooperative learning and  the Two-Step) have been developed by thousands of effective teachers across the US and Canada. For more information about the conference please go to: www.learnercentereded.org