AACT Member Spotlight: Shannon Smith



Every month AACT spotlights a passionate member who is dedicated to enhancing chemistry inside and outside the classroom. This month, we spotlight Shannon Smith. She teaches chemistry and AP Chemistry at The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati,

Tell us about yourself.

I am a chemistry teacher at The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, OH, where I have been teaching since 2016. I have been a teacher since 2005, however, with experience in a variety of school settings. I have a B.S. in Polymer Science from the University of Southern Mississippi (2001), an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia (2004), an M.A. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia (2005), and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from the University of Cincinnati. I currently teach Honors and AP Chemistry at The Summit. I also teach education courses as an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati. When I'm not teaching, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family, running on the Little Miami trail, trying new restaurants with my husband, and traveling.

Why did you become a teacher? Did you always want to teach?

I remember my own high school teachers asking me if I was considering becoming an educator, and I don’t think I hesitated at all to say “no”. This was definitely not my original career plan. I thought that I would become a basic science researcher; however, as I was working toward my master’s degree, I was a teaching assistant for undergraduate chemistry lab courses. Most graduate students find TA responsibilities bothersome because they take time away from research, but I looked forward to lab days. Engaging with students and building rapport while covering content that I found interesting was my favorite part of graduate school. So, I enrolled in education courses, applied for a teaching license, and the rest is history.

What do you do to remain current and bring the latest science into the classroom?

The best sources of inspiration for me are reading, attending professional conferences, and soliciting student feedback. I read any book or periodical I can find related to chemistry education. The used bookstore is one of my favorite places to find scientist biographies and new informational texts related to chemistry. I am always happy to see a new issue of Chem Matters or the Journal of Chemistry Education or Chemistry Solutions online or in my mailbox, and I sit down with a cup of tea and comb the pages for activities and new stories that relate to my classroom content.

There are a few events that tempt me to miss school, but a professional conference is always on my calendar. I try to attend one or two per year, and I use the time away from home and work to focus on teaching strategies and student engagement. It’s a time to learn from other educators and to seek out new activities and new ideas about how students learn. And, I always make time to attend AACT events while attending these conferences 😊!
My students are also invaluable sources of information. I poll my classes at the beginning of the year about what they hope to learn in my class, and I use their ideas and questions as inspiration to find new resources and create new activities that fit their interests.

How do you monitor the progress of your students? How do you ensure underperformers excel?

Based on my experience, I believe that all students can learn chemistry content, and offering support in various formats makes mastering content possible for everyone. Basic content in my class is offered through notes, videos, stories, particulate-level simulations, infographics, movies, POGIL activities, and more, with carefully built scaffolding to support cumulative learning. Mastering laboratory practice is simply a matter of repetition and confidence, so we spend as much time in the lab as possible to build those skills (because lab days are the most fun!). Collaboration among students with guidance from me in the role of a facilitator helps as well because peer-to-peer learning is extremely effective.

Why did you become involved with AACT? What are the benefits of being involved?

I have just begun my twentieth year of teaching chemistry (how time flies!). One might think that my teaching materials would be perfected by now, but every year I find myself searching for new ideas, better labs, and more relevant “real-world” connections that will engage my students. I know that I must change my approach to teaching as students change over the years: their interests, their relationship with technology and information, and their motivation to learn. AACT provides a community in which teachers learn from each other, support each other, and share the resources required to teach effectively and with passion. Organizations like AACT make practitioners’ daily work possible, as the responsibility to encourage and support students in their educational journey is too great for any teacher to carry alone.

Share some words of wisdom with other chemists.

I don’t know if I have “words of wisdom” for other chemists. Anyone who has the patience and grit to do basic science research has my utmost respect! I would, however, implore them to mentor young scientists. I know that finding time and resources for mentorship can be difficult, especially as research funding becomes more and more scarce. However, quality mentorship in science teaches students about the scientific approach to addressing important questions and nurtures their curiosity, possibly setting them on a path to be part of the next generation of researchers.

In three words, what would your students say they learned from you?

claim, evidence, reasoning
(They would say it's "mind your goggles"!)