AACT hosts teacher summit

The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), in partnership with Dow Chemical, held its fourth teacher summit in Collegeville and Macungie, Pa., June 26–29.

Launched in 2015, teacher summits bring together educators from Dow communities to create classroom resources, engage in professional learning, and build peer connections across grade levels. Resources created by teachers during the summits are incorporated into the AACT online resource library and are available to all members.

The 2017 teacher summit drew 25 teachers of chemistry from the Delaware Valley at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels. The teachers toured the Dow facility in Collegeville and worked with Dow STEM Ambassadors to brainstorm opportunities to create classroom resources that teach chemistry through real-world examples.

“I had a tremendous experience at the summit,” said Kim Arleth, a chemistry teacher at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. “Meeting fellow chemistry teachers and being able to engage in discussions about what we teach and how we teach was such a great opportunity. Another bonus was having a company like Dow show us around their facility and engage in helping teachers in chemistry. I am looking forward to bringing some scientists from Dow into my high school to discuss what they do in industry.”

AACT was launched by ACS in 2014 to add a new layer of support for K–12 teachers of chemistry. Dow is the sole founding partner of AACT. More information about Dow and AACT teacher summits is available at teachchemistry.org/teacher-sum​mit.