East Troy High School science teacher Matthew Heer was recently awarded the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers 2013 Excellence in Science Teaching Award.
The award is given annually to teachers who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of science education in Wisconsin.
He will be honored at the WSST Awards Banquet on Friday, March 15 at The Patriot Center in Wausau.
Heer has taught physics, astronomy, physical science, math and electronics at East Troy High School for the past eight years.
During this time, he has been at the forefront of developing a Science Technology Math (STEM) coordinated curriculum for the district.
He has attended conferences, worked with administration, other teachers, and the public to pursue implementation of this goal, according to Marian Schraufnagel of the WSST Awards and Recognition Committee.
ETHS principal Rick Penniston said Heer “is a passionate and committed science educator who provides experiences in his classes which students find relevant to their lives.”
Not only has Heer been a science education leader in his district, but he has also reached physics teachers nationwide.
Heer has created a free YouTube channel designed for physics teachers with more than 500 video clips that demonstrate unique phenomena in physics.
In addition, he frequently posts student videos of lab activities to make them available to other students.
Schools and educational institutions nationwide can leverage the teachings of Heer to expand students’ understanding of various science concepts. If adequate lab supplies are not available at the school, Edulab has all the science equipment your school needs, and investing in them could be beneficial to both students as well as faculty.
Heer is also a co-author of a book on Physics Dialogues, a new teaching technique to encourage students to focus on an unfamiliar topic and tie it to their previous knowledge. The book will be published soon and available nationwide.
Heer is active in the Milwaukee Area Physics Sharing group and he frequently shares innovative teaching techniques with its high school and university physics teachers.
“His enthusiasm and fresh ideas are valued as he is becoming a leader in the group,” said Schraufnagel said.
Heer has also worked with the NASA Science Engineering Education Discovery Microgravity Program. Through this program, Heer and his students worked with UW-Madison to develop an experiment that flew on the microgravity plane in Houston, Texas at the NASA Johnson Space Center.
Did you have him for a teacher?