Profile picture for user Ben Meacham

Ben Meacham

Prior Lake High School, Savage, MN
ChemEd X Author
ChemEd X Member since: June 2015

Though I have had the opportunity to teach a variety of science subjects, Chemistry has always been my passion. After 3 years of teaching in a small district where I had the unique experience of developing and spreading my content and pedagogical knowledge across several scientific disciplines, I had the opportunity to move back to the Twin Cities in Minnesota and focus primarily on Chemistry. Since the summer of 2012, I have been a part of the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) and its content, tools, philosophy, and members have helped shape me into the educator I am today. In addition to AMTA, I also belong to NSTA, AACT, and ChemEdX. I am constantly interested in learning, sharing experiences with others, and doing anything I can to improve my effectiveness as an educator. My own personal interests include brewing beer/wine, going to the gym, playing/coaching baseball, and cooking. You can find me on Twitter @meachteach

Posts

images from activity post
Identifying Unknowns: Intermolecular Forces and Properties
// Sunday, June 19, 2022 • Ben Meacham
At the end of our unit on chemical bonding, I wanted to provide an opportunity for students to apply the various topics from the unit into one culminating lab that was practical to execute and challenged their current understanding of the material.
orange balloon in pan of dry ice
Real vs Ideal - Do Students "Get It"?
// Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Ben Meacham
The first time I taught an Honors chemistry class, I noticed there was one additional topic in our unit on gases that differed from our General chem and Concepts chem classes: ideal vs. real gas behavior.
image showing set up and the final temperature of enthalpy of solution experiment
Developing a Model for Enthalpy of Solution—Reframing the Approach
// Wednesday, March 17, 2021 • Ben Meacham
There has always been something I have loved about calorimetry. Waiting for that transfer of energy within the system to match my prediction while simultaneously trying to prevent this invisible stuff from escaping is a fun challenge. Trying to teach it can be a fun challenge as well.