Erica Posthuma's blog

Still I Rise: A Student Perspective

In this blog post, I’ve asked Natalie about her journey as a woman of color along the path toward a future in a STEM field. I can’t begin to understand her perspective, so I’ve asked her to lend her voice to this issue. I believe it is important that we, as educators, take some time to reflect on what she has to say. Sometimes, the things we don’t say are resonating just as loudly as the things we do.

Planning my Professional Development

This is the time of year when I start looking ahead and planning my professional development for the new year.   As a mom to two young boys I simply cannot attend all the conferences, workshops, or lectures I’d like to.  I have to research my options and determine how each oppo

Simple Activities to Integrate Particle-Level Diagrams

There have been many conversations within the Chemistry Education community surrounding the revisions to the AP curriculum. Twitter has been buzzing with instructors debating how to implement the changes, conferences and workshops have participants deconstructing the data from last year’s exam, and classroom teachers are working diligently to prepare their students for this year’s test. One way the College Board has tried to shift the AP curriculum away from algorithmic problem solving and toward more meaningful conceptual understanding is through the use of particle diagrams.