Learn Allways

30 years teaching science at Amherst Middle School in Amherst, MA.

I have been identifying strategies to foster student use of mental modeling, particularly in situations where computer simulations are being used. The availability and sophistication of visual displays for use in science classrooms has increased exponentially and offers teachers new opportunities to elicit and respond to student ideas. However, it can be difficult for teachers to use these images to encourage and engage active student thinking. I am working on identifying teaching strategies to use with discussions of visual media such as static images, animations and simulations. I am interested in understanding how whole class discussion strategies can engage active student reasoning, be responsive to student ideas, and still efficiently meet content goals.

I have been a presenter at conferences of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching and the National Science Teachers Association.

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1985 from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. After I earned my Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1990, I have been teaching middle school science at Amherst Regional Middle School in Amherst, MA. I earned a Doctoral degree in Mathematics, Science and Learning Technologies from UMass in 2013. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, gardening, canoeing and spending time with his family.

Member of Scientific Reasoning Institute (SRRI) at Umass Amherst, https://www.srri.umass.edu/node/485