A teacher’s role is to enhance students’ curiosity about the unobservable processes of science, through collectively incorporating argument-driven inquiry investigations and collaborative modeling cycles to tap into the students’ imaginations. Ultimately, I view the teacher’s role as a facilitator in making the invisible processes visible.”
Allison’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Chemistry
Why Chemistry
“I see teaching chemistry as an opportunity for students to be able to understand what is happening without being able to actually see it with their eyes; therefore, a large part of chemistry is being able to use one’s imagination. I enjoy engaging students’ imaginations in the classroom by providing them with a variety of entry points into units through pictorial modeling activities, digital simulations, and embodied modeling activities. Ultimately, scientific knowledge is conjectural, which means that there should be more focus in the classroom on the unobservable processes in order to foster the growth of a student’s imagination.”
Professional Experience
For one summer, Allison worked as a chemistry teaching assistant for Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. For two years, she worked at Smith College as an organic chemistry teaching assistant.
From 2017 to 2018, Allison worked as a scientist in a sixth-grade classroom through the Scientist in the Classroom Partnership Program at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, Allison was also awarded a Robert Noyce Fellowship. She gained the opportunity to connect with a cohort of teachers and continued to collaborate with them since graduating.
Allison will begin her second year teaching at Hillwood High School during the 2020–2021 school year.
Hobbies
Allison enjoys hiking and hopes to hike the Appalachian Trail. She also enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies and working out.
Academic Background
- Vanderbilt University (Master of Education in Secondary Education)
- Smith College (Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry)