Blogs

Since my last blog about modeling, there have been additional opportunities added for training. If you don't see a location that works for you on this list, check out the AMTA website. Arizona:

Note an update on this PICK was published on 4/23/17.

I have taught for almost 30 years and have attended my fair share of professional development. Many of these have been very good (ChemEd, BCCE, ACS, NSTA, and ICE) but nothing has been as motivating, influential, and beneficial to my career as getting involved in the Chemistry Olympiad. Every year, the ACS sponsors a local section contest for high school students.

I was quite excited to learn about the “So You Think You Can Demo” competition at the upcoming ChemEd 2015 conference.  I enjoy learning about new

My good friend, an AP Literature teacher, inspires me to challenge my students (and myself) to think creatively. Students love her teaching style and line up to take her class. All the while, they say her assignments push the limits of their critical thinking abilities and bring out creative thinking talents they never knew they had.

Today in my IB Chemistry class we were reviewing the Born-Haber cycle. This has proven particularly challenging in the past so I wanted to try something a bit different and have the students review in groups. The task for each group of students was to create a visual Born-Haber cycle for potassium oxide - ignoring the math and calculations but instead focusing on each process within the cycle. I'd like to share how I grouped students using periodic properties.

With spring just around the corner and warmer weather approaching, I find that I’m in active summer preparation mode.  This is the time of year when I’m trying to plan for the perfect summer balance between professional development and relaxation – both professional growth exper