Episode 74 - Tom Pfeiffer - 40 years veteran teacher and Modeling Workshop Leader

About this episode

Tom Pfeiffer shares his insights on modeling instruction and its impact on student engagement after 40 years of teaching.

This episode starts out with Tom's advice to teachers who are just getting started with modeling instruction. He and Mark discuss the differences in teaching physics and chemistry using modeling methods. They also discuss the changes Tom noticed when switching from traditional to modeling methods, as well as key takeaways from modeling workshops. Guest Tom Pfeiffer Tom Pfeiffer studied biology and chemistry in college. In graduate school, he chose to switch directions and become a teacher. In his teaching career, Tom taught Physics, Chemistry, 10th-grade Biology, Advanced Biology and Physical Science. When he began to learn about modeling methods, he says it greatly improved student engagement in learning. He is now retired after teaching for 40 years. Facebook | Instagram Highlights [17:40] Tom Pfeiffer "when I think of my students when I was modeling, they were much more engaged and seemed to enjoy the class more." [19:55] Mark Royce "When they walk away from my class, regardless of the content they carry with them, they are learning how to learn, and that will always go with them in their life ahead." Resources Download Transcript Ep 74 Transcript  

People in this episode

Host: Mark Royce

Guest: Tom Pfeiffer

Topics covered

• modeling instruction
• teacher advice
• physics teaching
• chemistry teaching
• student engagement
• educational methods

Keywords

• modeling instruction
• Tom Pfeiffer
• Mark Royce
• student engagement
• teaching methods
• physics
• chemistry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Modeling Workshop

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