Utah High School Chemistry Teachers Workshop
April 30, 2022
Thatcher Building for Biological and Biophysical Chemistry
Finally, after having to wait two years because of Covid, the semiannual high-school
chemistry teachers’ workshop was held on Saturday, April 30 in the Department of Chemistry
at the University of Utah. Organized by Michael Morse, the Saturday morning
event brought together 45 high-school chemistry teachers from around the region,
and several chemistry faculty from the department to learn about and discuss ideas
about the teaching of chemistry. We were also fortunate to have Eileen Ragsdale and
her son Steve Ragsdale join us for the morning. It was great to have them participating
in this event.
Attendance at the workshop counts toward continuing teacher education and is designed
to help Utah chemistry teachers learn more about specific chemistry topics that they
want to hear about, as well as bringing in leaders in chemistry education to provide
their insights. The program this time consisted of three presentations: “Learning Nuclear Chemistry in 60 minutes” by everyone’s favorite chemistry educator, Butch Atwood; "Lean Think: Revolutionizing
Education by Doing Less" by a well-known local high-school teacher from Davis High
School, Julie Laub; and “Course-level social belonging: Effects on student performance and persistence in General
Chemistry”, by Gina Frey who is a faculty member and chemical-education researcher at the University
of Utah Department of Chemistry. The discussions during the presentations were lively
with great questions and comments.
The Ron and Eileen Ragsdale High School Teaching Award was presented during this event
to Julie Laub. This award honors a regional high-school teacher who is selected for
their exemplary teaching that is characterized, in part, by engagement, dedication,
equitability, evidence-based teaching practices, and high standards for their students,
as well as an outstanding colleague to other high-school teachers throughout the Valley
and an active participant in the Department’s outreach programs. The recipient receives
a monetary award, an award certificate, and a “silver flask” made by our own Jeff
Statler. We are extremely pleased to give this award to Julie, whose devotion to education
and teacher development, and her focus on creating an inclusive and encouraging environment
for students are remarkable. We are also deeply grateful for her continued work with
our outreach programs including the high-school teacher workshop, the summer program,
and Advanced Placement Lab program.
The Workshop ended with lunch where the engaging conversations continued. The participants voted to hold the fall workshop on Saturday Oct 8, 2022. We look forward to seeing all the high-school teachers again and invite interested chemistry faculty in the department to join us also.
