Faculty Profile: Laura Trout

 I TEACH:

Chemistry 1B and Advanced Topics in Chemistry (Inorganic, Physical/Analytical and Organic - one trimester of each). This is my second year of teaching at LCDS. My background includes 14 years in public schools in Washington (my home state) and here in Pennsylvania where I have also taught Honors Chemistry, Chemistry in the Community, AP Chemistry and IB Chemistry.

I ALSO WORK WITH STUDENTS INDIVIDUALLY:

This year I'm working with two students on science fair projects. I've also chaperoned groups of students for the Chemistry Olympics.

MY FAVORITE ACTIVITIES IN ADDITION TO TEACHING ARE:

Being a mom to our toddler, Emma, plus flower gardening and cooking with my husband, Todd.

ABOUT ME:

I actually grew up in a small town named Hockinson near Vancouver, WA (not Canada). It was farm country, much like Lancaster County. We had six acres and raised about 50 chickens and ducks. My sister and I sold the eggs for spending money. I earned my bachelor's degree in chemistry and my teaching credentials at Central Washington University. Next, I attended the University of Washington where I earned my master's degree in chemistry. My research area was physical chemistry, and I worked in a surface chemistry lab.

ABOUT POGIL:

This is a professional project in which I'm deeply involved. The college-level science teaching method called Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) and The High School POGIL Initiative (HSPI) that grew from it are teaching methods that encourage science teachers and students to focus on process skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication, in addition to factual knowledge. I led the original group of high school teachers who met to discuss this exciting concept, and I was also part of the group of 30 teachers from 18 states who met in St. Louis in July 2009 to move forward with HSPI. I currently serve as editor-in-chief as we create a comprehensive set of classroom-tested POGIL activities and materials for biology and chemistry instruction. The easiest way to explain POGIL is to say that instead of giving a traditional lecture in which I would present information from the front of the room, I provide to small groups of students certain data as an inquiry project. Then it's up to them to examine, collaborate and discover chemical principles as they answer a set of carefully crafted questions. The result is that they learn faster and remember more. Of course, I help when they have questions. It really works! And it is so exciting to watch--I am actually helping to improve the way students learn, across the entire nation.

WHY I TEACH:

I've wanted to be a teacher since I was in the 2nd grade, and I still have the "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up" assignment to prove it! In high school, I was always tutoring my friends in math and science, and I was good at it. Other people would try to help them, but for some reason I could get the idea across better than most. Also, from a terrific high school English teacher I learned (by his example) how to be a good teacher and about being a professional-how to seek growth opportunities through professional development, and how to balance work with other aspects of my life.

At the end of college, I decided to pursue a PhD program in chemistry but it didn't suit me, and I decided to pursue teaching. I don't regret the years I spent in grad school. They gave me a broader understanding of chemistry, exposed me to some research experiences, and gave me additional teaching experience before I was in my own classroom.

Early on, I also learned a lot during interaction with other, more experienced science teachers during a workshop in Michigan. As a result, I learned that inquiry lessons could be orchestrated by the instructor to provide "guided" experiences in which students think for themselves. More recently--about eight years ago--I attended my first POGIL workshop. POGIL provided a way to present information in a more student-friendly package than a lecture. Not only has the POGIL Project helped my classroom, but it has given me a venue to become a workshop presenter, author and leader of a national project.

BOOK(S) I LOVE THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY TOO:

There's definitely more than one! In the past five summers I've read all the Harry Potter books. I have to read them in the summer because I literally can't put them down. On the science side, I also like Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History and In Search of Schrödinger's Cat.

FAVORITE WEBSITE:

http://phet.colorado.edu This site has science simulations for chemistry and physics. I use several of them in my classes, but they're also fun just to play around.

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT:

Right now, almost all of our vacations are to Seattle/Vancouver, WA to visit family. My dad has a fishing boat, so we go out on the Puget Sound to get salmon, crab and shrimp. Todd and I also take vacations to participate in summer Chemistry Education conferences. I'd love to go back to Belize. I was there about 14 years ago, and loved it. Australia is my dream vacation.

FAVORITE FOODS NO KITCHEN SHOULD BE WITHOUT:

Cashews and cheese.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES DURING SUMMER BREAK:

Most of my past three summers have been busy with POGIL work; teaching workshops and running meetings for the High School POGIL Initiative. Other than that, I love roller coasters and rides in general. Emma is a little dare-devil and will go on any ride for which she meets the height requirement.