American Modeling Teachers Association

After decades of searching for effective instructional strategies and materials, I found and became a member of the American Modeling Teachers' Association. AMTA is a very supportive community!

I am an American but have been working in international schools for most of my career. It has taken me quite a bit of time.....exploring some different pedagogies very similar to Modeling Instruction, to finally get to a place in my career where I feel like this is it. This is what I have been searching for! Modeling Instruction is a pedagogy that used an inquiry lens and puts students in the center of the process. Students are actively constructing their understanding of a given phenomenon using the evidence they acquire from experiments as well as the dialogue they have with each other. As a community of scientists, they are "doing science" in a very real sense, building both the science skill set as well as some very important social skills such as collaboration, resilience and the ability to communicate effectively.

My department chair suggested I take a modeling course after my first year of teaching. This course changed my teaching and deepened my own understanding of physics. I am grateful to AMTA because it provides the only valuable professional development for a science teacher that I’ve ever experienced in 15 years of teaching. I even hear my students recognizing the benefits of modeling instruction as a pedagogy.

AMTA promotes the continuation of Modeling Instruction Program in High School Science (developed at ASU). The AMTA peer-lead teacher workshops have been the *finest* professional development in my thirty years of teaching. Suitable for new and experienced teachers, Modeling Instruction workshops have forever transformed my teaching for the better.

I stumbled on a masters program using curriculum and pedagogy from AMTA and it changed the course of my career. I not only changed my teaching, but received leadership training as well as connection to a community of educator/leaders that supported my goals for my classroom and encouraged me to support others.
AMTA is a wonderful organization that supports teachers so they are better equipped to engage students in hands on STEM learning.

The first modeling mechanics physics workshop I attended was a game changer for me! Not only did I get to learn the pedagogical piece, I was able to experience the activities and thinking the students would be doing! By far the best professional development I have ever had. I loved it so much, that I returned for more and became a workshop leader. I recommend AMTA to every physics teacher I come in contact with.

AMTA is focused on providing science teachers with evidence-based instructional techniques and materials that motivate students and help them truly learn through building models of the physical world. The organization provides support through workshops and building community with a world-wide network of teachers.

The American Modeling Teachers keeps me connected to other like minded, dedicated and enthusiastic science teachers that love seeing kids really love learning science by doing science every day. I could not be the teacher I am with out AMTA.

Modeling instruction workshops changed my professional life. So glad for the continued work of this great organization.

The American Modeling Teaching Association has totally transformed my teaching classroom. My kids learn WAY more, have more fun doing it, and come out actually liking Physics. I'm so passionate about Modeling Instruction that I've led a 3 week, 65 hour workshop with other teachers to share this innovate, effective, and research-backed method. Model On!

I value the AMTA because my classroom teaching has completely transformed since taking my first workshop, for the better! Students are highly engaged, they are developing their thinking AND critical thinking skills, they are practicing nature of science skills in every unit, they are engaging in discourse and learning how to challenge ideas and defend their own with evidence. I have taken physics workshops, a chemistry workshop, and have led multi-week Modeling workshops sponsored by AMTA and I highly recommend for any teacher at any stage of their career.

This non-profit offers fantastic professional development for teachers. They are also supportive of community and skill building. Great group!!!

I attended two Modeling workshops with AMTA, Chem I and Chem II Modeling. These workshops were well presented with fantastic workshop leaders and both have made a significant impact on how I teach my chemistry classes. Modeling has been transformational in my approach to teaching.

I participated in my first modelling workshop in physics sponsored by the AMTA two years ago and it transformed my teaching. I now exclusively using modeling methods of instruction in my classroom and my students are performing better than they ever have in the past, at all levels of instruction. I have since taken three graduate courses designed around AMTA materials and I get as much out of learning the modeling process as my students do. I strongly recommend that all physics teachers try this method of teaching.

I have attended three (3) teaching workshops sponsored by the AMTA. The first of these were an epiphany! It completely changed how I thought about teaching and interacting with students. I saw this as based on some evidence gathered by people who understood science and the strengths / limitations of rigorous data collection. It has guided my thinking on teaching now for almost 15 years, and I would not go back.

After participating in a 2-week Modeling in Chemistry class my instructional methods were changed! Students build their knowledge in the historical sense with regards to particles of matter and their behavior. The materials that are shared with participants help with lesson planning and lab creation of the story of chemistry.
I have shared my learning with my colleagues, and they are employing some of the methods with positive results in their classrooms as well!
This is a fabulous group of like-minded teachers that share materials and experiences to make us all better!

After teaching Chemistry for 20 years the thought does creep into your mind that there is nothing new and then I was introduced to Modeling instruction by AMTA. Their summer workshop transformed my teaching a breathed new life into my classes. When the time came for me to teach Physics, AMTA was the first thought I had. The summer workshop helped orient me to the content and prepare for a whole new direction of content. There is so much more though. In the subsequent years, the curriculum and support of fellow teachers through the listserv has been a real key to vibrant successful teaching on my part.

The AMTA saved my career. They helped to understand how to be effective in the classroom and provided support throughout the years.

Modeling Instruction pedagogy early in my high school teaching career was foundational in preparing my students to participate in the STEM economy.

I have taken five workshops sponsored by this organization and have since become a workshop leader myself. What I have learned in these workshops has revolutionized my teaching and has done the same for many of the participants of workshops I have led. In addition to improving science teaching, this organization is dedicated to supporting teachers in developing equitable practices in their classrooms.

Modeling workshops transformed my classroom! As science department chair for a suburban school district, I quickly enrolled additional staff members in local workshops and began working toward becoming a workshop facilitator. My belief is that every new and experienced teacher could benefit from an AMTA workshop. Student engagement, retention, and interest are engraved in a curriculum that meets the needs of the modern classroom. Modeling combines equity and inclusion as instructors develop a “we culture” where students uncover scientific knowledge using skills that foster lifelong learning and problem solving. As a veteran teacher, modeling transformed my classroom!

I have taken three multi week training sessions and I can tell you these are the only reason I’m still teaching. It changed my teaching methods and improved my student knowledge

Over the course of my 25-year educational career, I consistently look to improve my craft and grow my knowledge; I have participated in LOTS of workshops and professional development over the years.

In summer 2019, I took a week-long intensive workshop sponsored by AMTA. It was the most impactful training I have ever participated in. Specifically, it transformed the way I engage students in learning science; the level of student-to-student discourse and their thinking about science has improved by orders of magnitude.

I attended a multi-week Computational Modeling with Bootstrap Algebra at Baldwin Wallace. The workshop was well-planned, thorough and I was able to use it walking into my classroom with little further prep work.

I attended a Physics Mechanics training in Phoenix, AZ in 2009 and have been a committed "Modeler" ever since. This method of teaching has transformed the way I teach and the way I think about teaching completely. I can't say enough about the way students respond to this approach!

I took my first Modeling course at ASU in the summer of 2003 and decided to pursue my Masters there, finishing in 2006. I was in my 22nd year of teaching physics in 2003, using a more or less textbook approach. I had been trained to be a biology teacher, but has mostly taught physics by this point. I had read and reread and gone through all of the high school physics that I could find to beef up my background. I tried to incorporate as much rigor, problem-solving, and even competitive challenges that I could think of. My first Modeling course caused me to completely change tactics. I began to look at physics and physics education much differently. I will admit that I could never completely refrain from doing a little hand-holding for anxious learners by providing them affirmation for their work and progress or giving them the occasional nudge in the right direction when they were floundering. Still I became a firm believer in the need to constantly place experimental evidence in front of inquiring young scientists so that they could form deeply held views of Newtonian Mechanics, Wave Mechanics, and Electricity and Magnetism. I retired in 2013, but taught four summers of Upward Bound, continuing in the modeling tradition. Finally, I taught two sections of introductory physics for two semesters at the University of Maine Farmington where I combined Modeling Mechanics with four chapters from the old astronomy chapters in Project Physics which I converted to the same modeling methodology.

AMTA has sponsored many Physic workshops that have transformed how I teach physics.
I would go to more workshops if they could obtain the money necessary to offset the costs, which include the workshop itself and room and board for the 1-3 week workshops.
I have used their website to obtain updated WS's which coincide with the curriculum that is taught in the workshops.

I value the AMTA because I have participated in as well as led multi-week Modeling Workshops sponsored by the AMTA. I took the Middle School Modeling workshop years ago in Fruitport Michigan and then also took the HS Biology workshop in Rockford Michigan. The last three summers I have led modeling instruction workshops. I have led a face to face Middle School workshop in Grandville Michigan and the last two summers I have led an online HS Biology workshop to individuals across the United States and Australia.

AMTA is important and the workshops in Science instruction because we are inspiring our youth to become better thinkers in science.

Better science education is a MUST to ensure a flourishing and positive society. Modeling Science and Modeling Physics has been a transformative organization to the landscape of science education.

AMTA has changed my life as a teacher. I have never been to a more important professional development than the one through this organization.

If a teacher wants to teach science well, they should be getting help from the AMTA. Teaching science (physics and chemistry in my case) has been improved for thousands of teachers by the training of AMTA, and thousands of more should be reached.

I attended an AMTA workshop on Biology modeling and not only did it change my life it is changing the lives of my Biology students. My teaching style is much more interactive and focused on student outcomes. My students are talking and doing biology like never before. During my last evaluation my principal commented that my students sound like working scientists. AMTA is amazing!

In 2010, I attended a multi-week workshop presented by the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) to learn how to teach Physics using the modeling method and it transformed the way I taught. I paid for it out of my own pocket and it was by far the best professional development I ever attended during my teaching career. Later, when it became available, I also attended a multi-week workshop to learn how to teach Chemistry using the modeling method. By that time the State of Michigan recognized the value of AMTA and covered my cost to the training. Funding the AMTA is by far the best way to improve the teaching of science.

The AMTA is an incredible organization! I have participated in several workshops through the program and my teaching has improved every time. There are very few other educational groups that can boast transformational results like the AMTA can. From workshops to resources to the community, it has everything.

I attended a Modeling workshop at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School in Illinois several years ago and it completely changed my approach to education. Modeling has made me a better educator and has made education a more sustainable career for me.

I took Modeling Chemistry 1 and Modeling Chemistry 2 in 2012 and 2013, respectively and it totally transformed the way that I teach Chemistry. Modeling makes Chemistry more concrete and visual for students and it makes them think deeply and analytically, more so than a traditional curriculum.

I have attended two 13 day workshops out on by this group in Michigan in 2019 and 2022. The workshops mix content with Pedagogy. The length of workshops allows teachers to form friendships so that we can continue networking beyond the workshop. The support by other modelers offered via a listserv and discord app has been invaluable. Check out this resource to reignite your love for teaching!

Rarely do teachers get to participate in multi week Professional Development that profoundly affects the way their students learn. AMTA rejuvenated my career and made my students better learners.

The American Modeling Teachers Association and all the teachers associated with this organization have been a tremendous help to me as a chemistry teacher. The organization has lesson plans that other teachers are willing to share and give support to anyone who ask to improve the STEM education of our students. It is a wonderful organization that deserves great credit and any funding that is available.
K. Kleissle
Independence HS

In June 2018, I attended a multi-week Chemistry Modeling Workshop sponsored by the AMTA in Wheaton Warrenville South, Chicago, IL. I had returned to teaching after many years and everything had changed. AMTA helps teachers teach students to learn.

AMTA meets teachers where they are, no judgement. The workshops I have attended both in person and online have been extremely well organized and have a human touch. Modeling pedagogy is the change I did not know I was looking for ——-and I am thankful every day for the support of this fine organization.

Over thirty years ago, I attended a modeling workshop that lasted several weeks. I changed my whole method of teaching physics. I became a modeling workshop leader, and eventually led many, many workshops for teachers through NSF workshops sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers. My husband and I were the instructors for a five year NSF grant to train Alabama physics teachers. The materials we wrote for this program were all inspired by the modeling approach to teaching physics. Obviously, the modeling workshop I attended in Orlando, FL, those many years ago, were very valuable to me and all the teachers I have taught. I continue to teach high school dual enrollment physics using those same modeling ideas and methods.

The AMTA is a grass-roots organization founded by teachers in 2005 for the purpose of continuing work begun in the early 1990s to widely disseminate Modeling Instruction around the world. As a founding member, former AMTA Board member, and Modeling Instruction workshop leader for more than twenty years, I can unequivocally state that the AMTA has played a pivotal role in keeping Modeling Instruction alive after National Science Foundation (NSF) funding expired. Not only has Modeling Instruction survived, it has evolved from exclusively Physics, to include Chemistry, Physical and Earth Science, Biology, Mathematics, and Astronomy in the last fifteen years. Many outstanding NSF-funded curricular programs (e.g. Project Physics, Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC), Introductory Physical Science (IPS), Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS)) disappeared from schools once the teachers who were part of the original NSF workshops retired because no mechanism for continuing training to the next generation of educators existed. Modeling Instruction is the exception and it is the teachers who make up the AMTA membership who continue to promote and promulgate its growth thirty years after the original NSF grants were made. The AMTA is essential to the work of Modeling Instruction and eminently worthy of continued financial support.

I have been to several workshops and found them to be the best professional development for physics or chemistry teachers that I have ever encountered. The leadership are smart and dedicated and efficient. And the follow up support is teriffic!

The modeling workshops I attended in the 1990's revolutionized my approach to the classroom. Students doing science suddenly began to win in regional and national competitions. Scores of my AP science students rose significantly even though they were already above average. Students taking Physics (which was "optional" at the time" increased substantially. The impact was immense. I am now retired and grateful for the exposure to this classroom approach that treated students with respect and encouraged them to be scientists.

I attended my first modeling workshop in 2016 and it has become a key element of my teaching practice since that time. I've attended other workshops and classes built around this inquiry-based strategy and benefited from their curricular materials since. A great organization!

I have attended three AMTA sponsored workshops. The modeling approach to teaching science is "holy grail" of teaching that I have been searching for for almost 20 years. It has totally transformed my teaching and, more importantly, my students' learning.

I took my first modeling workshop after my 11th year of teaching and felt like I finally learned how to teach. The modeling method of instruction allows students to learn more than just physics; it teaches them communication skills, problem solving and independence, skills that will help them for the rest of their lives.
I’m grateful to the AMTA for the professional development and professional dialogue that continues to support me and bolster my teaching in new preps, using new technology, and through new challenges.

AMTA is providing instruction for teachers that transforms education for students. The instructional techniques from AMTA have increased understanding and decreased frustration for my students.

I really value the AMTA for its high-quality professional development, as well as for the community it provides for science teachers. It is really difficult to find good quality professional development for science teachers. After attending a two-week summer workshop, I was able to confidently apply a new pedagogy in the classroom. Through my membership, I have also been able to attend numerous online courses and webinars, which have allowed me to further my knowledge. However, what I have liked the best is being connected with a network of passionate science teachers, who are always willing to share resources and ideas. The work that the AMTA does is invaluable to the science teaching community.

I have had the opportunity to attend several modeling instruction workshops (including physics, middle school, and biology). Each workshop has been instrumental in improving my overall instruction. The instructors have always been leaders in the field, and I have gleaned much from my experiences.

In addition, I have accessed curriculum and teacher notes that have been vital to improved student learning.

I have been using Modeling Instruction in my middle school classroom for 8 years and I am currently a facilitator. It is single-handedly the best professional development I have ever taken as a teacher and it has completely transformed what I do with my students in the classroom. I highly recommend this training to anyone wanting to strengthen their pedagogical practices.

I attended three Modeling workshops, mechanics, electromagnetism, and modern physics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Guiding students to develop conceptual models by representing abstract ideas like fields and forces in multiple ways not only transformed the way my students develop understanding, but also my philosophy of teaching and learning.

I attended the three-week summer training in Physics Modeling and loved it so much that I followed it up with the same training in Chemistry, both in New Albany, Ohio. It transformed my teaching and I know from pre and post tests that students are learning more deeply. I continue to rely on the community in a weekly basis.

I attended a workshop in Maine before my first year of teaching physics. The 5 day course was exceptional and entirely changed the way I was going to approach teaching for the upcoming year. I have attended many other teaching workshops and none have been so informative. It transformed my approach to teaching and I am so grateful for the AMTA!

Dear friends,

The program AMTA has built and expanded on the past 2 decades in partnership with ASU Modeling Physics program has positively impacted the teaching of literally hundreds if not thousands of teachers, and by extension 10s of thousands if not 100s of thousands of High School science students in the US and around the world. The team that developed Modeling Physics (as well as Modeling Chemistry and Modeling Biology now) and continue to promote, expand and improve it is incredibly dedicated to effective, data driven Science education.

I was fortunate to get training in Modeling Physics at Arizona State University in Tempe several times. 2 summers in a row I was blessed to get free training at ASU because of NSF grants the ASU Modeling Physics team was awarded to train secondary Science teachers. At that time, without their NSF support, I could not otherwise have afforded to get that training.

Then several years later after going to work on a US Military base in S. Korea for the Dept. of Defense Education Authority (DODEA) I helped promote the Modeling methods to the DODEA HQ Science Instructional Specialist. Proud to say that led to I and a dozen+ other DoD Physics teachers getting 2 weeks of further training 2 summers in a row.

Those trainings, the team that conducted them, the techniques I learned and the high quality well integrated materials I received to use in class were nothing less than transformational for me as a teacher and for my students' learning in class. I'd already taught HS Physics and Math for more than a decade before that training; but it improved my teaching effectiveness and my students' learning 10 fold. Honestly, that is not an exaggeration.

Truly, the methods and materials supported by AMTA in partnership with ASU Modeling Physics is rightly acclaimed nationally and world-wide as the best way to help High School students get in-depth and usable understanding of fundamental Physics concepts. I still regularly receive emails from students I taught HS Physics using this program and they invariably relate how the "guided-inquiry" Modeling methods they encountered in my Modeling Physics classes (both regular HS Physics and AP Physics) gave them a great foundation on which to build in their STEM fields at Universities. Most express that they come into their college science programs much better prepared than their peers. Many have said that their Physics class was the reason they went on to major in Science and/or Engineering.

Please feel free to contact me if you need/want more input.

Kind regards, Brian

brian.martin@dodea.edu

Brian P. Martin
Physics, Biology and Math Teacher
Aviano Middle-High School
Aviano USAF Base, Italy

I have taken 3 modeling workshops over the past 7 years. The experience helped me become a better teacher. My students demonstrate outstanding abilities to think deeply and reason out how scientific phenomena work.

My first encounter with AMTA was completely unknown - my physics teacher was teaching me in a way that made me completely intreguied by science. It made me pick physics education as a major.

Fast forward to my student teaching - I student taught with a teacher who ran a workshop for other teachers to learn this method. I was completely blown away seeing the behind the scenes and transformations of these professional teachers realizing some of the impacts the modeling method can have on students. I immediately joined as a lifelong member and got involved with the community.

Now, 15 years into my own professional journey, I see the effect AMTA still has on my daily practice as well as others in my science department. Looking back, I know I wouldn't have gotten to this point without that initial experience that AMTA gave MY high school physics teacher.

I was introduced to Modeling as a part of my methods course when I was getting my M. Ed. and my teaching certificate in 2008. I was in my third year teaching and I already knew that I was doing my students a dis-service with the traditional methods. I've been teaching for 18 years now and all my success in the classroom directly relates to what I learned in that methods course.

I have taken at least 6 modeling workshops and it has transformed my teaching practices. The organization and its workshops have also changed how my entire science department teaches science at my middle school.

The modeling technique really changed the way that I taught high school chemistry. I now have a more interactive, science based classroom.

I have been a modeling advocates for nearly 20 years. The best way for students to learn science is to do science, and modeling strategies help them learn to do that. AMTA is an excellent organization, and continues to do exemplary work for teachers and students.

AMTA supports a truly revolutionary and effective way of teaching phyics from high school through college. It organizes 3 week workshops that train teachers how to use the Modeling technques and develops strategies for implementing it in the classroom. Its a 5 star orginization and after 30 years of teaching science and physics, I can't imagine doing it without their suppoprt and guidance!

I was trained in the Modeling Method in 1998 and I have been leading workshops ever since. The AMTA was created for one purpose: to support and enhance physics education. With their support I have been able to offer modeling workshops both in- person and online for hundreds of physics educators across the US. It is my sincere hope that the AMTA will continue to support physics education for years to come.

I attended a 2 week AMTA Chemistry Modeling workshop at Wheaton Warrenville South in June 2016 and it transformed how I teach Chemistry. By observing phenomena and making their own meaning with their class, they are able to own the concept and apply it to new situations.

I attended a couple of multi-week Modeling Workshops sponsored by the AMTA in Miami Florida, at Florida International University in 2006 and 2007 in Physics and have been a Physics Modeler ever since.

AMTA is an outstanding grassroots professional society of, by, and for teachers who use Modeling Instruction. I've been an AMTA volunteer and Modeling Workshop host since inception.
Modeling Instruction is a systematic approach to design of curriculum and instruction. The name Modeling Instruction expresses an emphasis on making and using conceptual models of phenomena in science as central to learning science. Math instruction is integrated seamlessly by an emphasis on mathematical modeling.
Modeling Workshops thoroughly address integration of teaching methods with course content. Workshops incorporate science education research, best curriculum materials, use of technology, and experience in collaborative learning and guidance. Workshops focus on all 8 science practices and cross-cutting concepts of the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012).
In each workshop, content for an entire semester course is reorganized around models, to increase its structural coherence.

AMTA was one of the organizations that worked collaboratively to help us hold a grant funded workshop on Computational Modeling Physics at Baldwin Wallace University (BWU). We were able to impact 5 teachers from Ohio as well as teachers from across the nation and even one teaching internationally. The workshop was amazing with so much positive energy. A ton of work was done by the teachers as they prepared to bring the pedagogy back to their classroom and integrate basic computer coding (math based pyret language) into the physics. This means they/we have the tools to help students learn to think logically, better understand their mathematics functions in very practical ways and do so in a cohesive manner which lumps pieces of content together in more easily managed bundles of information called models. At the same time we built a stronger community within our STEM teacher participant group and helped support those teachers to have a very positive experience so they could return to school refreshed after a particularly challenging school year. Best PD I have ever had right there summer 2022! :) Even better - my colleague and I are using it daily and transforming our physics classes, impacting many students at our school! BWU intends to offer more of these workshops because they were so impressed so I expect any more teachers and students to be positively impacted if we can find the funding to help teachers get to the workshops!

This organization of teachers has worked tirelessly to promote reformed teaching practice in K-16 science education. Without the effort of members serving members, Modeling Instruction could have sprouted, then withered and died like so many other grant-sponsored projects. Instead it's a vibrant community of teachers committed to helping students learn to think more effectively.

AMTA and Modelling instruction is a great initiative from true practicioners in the field of Physics education. They provide both general framework for physics instruction at a school and university level and give soooo many useful resources and tips on the level of practical implementation.
I've gone through just one online course with them led by Dr. Mark Lattery, my classroom is now undergoing changes and I see that kids are getting unstuck in previously hard points, I see my own understanding and thinking improve.
The community they are creating is very kind, supportive and smart

I am a recent high school physics teacher who has discovered Computational Modeling Physics First last summer in a workshop funded by NSF. Previously I "taught" physics to 10-12 graders for 6 years. I knew I wasn't doing a great job, because I majored in physics in college and I could see I wasn't furthering my students in either science or math. Upon discovering Computational Modeling Physics First I was an acolyte - this is an awesome curriculum! I have had my students take the initial knowledge exam and I look forward to proving this curriculum teaches physics!

They provide resources and training in teaching, science education, and all kinds of amazing things. Their workshops have revolutionized how I teach science, and they helped me find joy again (lost during the Pandemic). They are kind, helpful and simply perfect.

After teaching for two years, I finally had the time to take my first modeling workshop. It was exactly what I was missing in my classroom instructional practices. AMTA has been a huge support as a new teacher, and now as an established teacher. Each year I am able to find workshops that meet my needs. There is a tremendous support system in place so I feel comfortable asking questions, bouncing ideas off of my peers, and finding solutions to any question.

AMTA is an amazing grass-roots network of teachers that has allowed me to connect with educators who are passionate about teaching science. These educators are from my own locale, from across the nation and around the world. They help me to refine constantly how I am present in a classroom whether this be with high school students, college students wanting to become middle school teachers, or other STEM teachers. Together we are sharing ideas for how to get learners to think deeply and refectively about scientific phenomena and specifically about how the universe operates. I had been teaching 20 years when I accidentally stumbled across Modeling Instruction at ASU and the result is that both I and my students are challenged mentally in a much more real and useful way. That makes teaching interesting and challenging and continues to make it worthwhile. It also means that my students are truly excited about what they are able to do and accomplish and enjoy science in a way that is more real than before. They are no longer learning about something called physics. They are becoming physicists each day, discovering that they can be such a person. As an educator, my friends and colleagues in AMTA help me consider my role in the classroom. They help me to reflect and act on all the aspects of today's teaching including best practice for assessment, best practice to encourage dialogue learner to learner, best practice for use of technology, and best practice to ensure equity in my classroom and to ensure that the culture in the room is such that every learner knows their contribution is equally important to the understanding.
When I teach a workshop or participate in one, I always hear an echo of my own experience: "I wish I had known about you years ago!" Your donation can help us reach teachers sooner. It can allow us to be more widely known so that teachers don't have to 'accidentally discover' what we offer. Your donation can allow us to serve locations in the USA where teachers want to learn how to implement Modeling Instruction, but their district simply does not have funds to support them. Your donation will have a lasting impact. Consider that every teacher we serve impacts dozens of students every single year! There is evidence that more students who experience Modeling Instruction will go on to serve others in STEM fields such as engineering, medicine, chemistry, and of course as STEM teachers.

It is because of the American Modeling Teachers Association that I became a science teacher and remain in the classroom. The support I have received from workshop leaders and staff has been immeasurable. I am proud to now serve this organization and ensure that more teachers receive the support they need to foster a love of science in their students.

I appreciate what Modeling did for me and my students. The professional development was invigorating and it went beyond my expectations... by far the best PD I have ever attended. I'm happy to be a member of this organization!

This organization changed the trajectory of my career and life. The quality and consistency of collegial support is beyond anything I have witnessed elsewhere in education. The research behind the practices taught is deep and wide and the belief in the pedagogy to promote scientific thinking is strong. The most important part is that students are the true recipients of the amazing work this organization has done. This is rare in education and should not go unnoticed.

This nonprofit has given me the support I need to teach thousands of students using the evidence based inquiry instruction. They have impacted an overwhelming number of students in the US and across the globe! Thye provide some of the best professional development available for science teachers!

Modeling saved my teaching career. I was tiered of teaching students how to crank through problems and I wanted to teach kids how to think for themselves. Now with the modeling pedagogy my students run class, they figure out how to solve problems on their own, they learn to work in teams and look to each other for answers, they truly analyze data, and they learn how to ask good questions. Along with these skills this organization offers continuous support!

AMTA has transformed my career in education. In 2016 I took my first workshop and started implementing Modeling Instruction immediately. My students were more engaged, and my love for teaching science was renewed. I am now an instructional coach who helps K-12 teachers use the strategies of Modeling Instruction in a variety of subject areas.

Modeling changed how I teach! My students are learning how to think, not memorize. The AMTA training I received is responsible for enabling me to change inner city kids lives forever!

I love the PD provided by AMTA. It was such a shift in my own thinking & teaching, plus my students were way more engaged than ever before. I have recommended Modeling Instruction training to all of my colleagues.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the professional development sessions with AMTA! The facilitator was extremely engaging! He desired contributions from everyone and encouraged very diverse feedback. The experience has given me more motivation, energy and inspiration to share with my students, and it has not gone unnoticed by my peers. Thank you AMTA!

Please consider adding the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) to charities you support. $500 provides a 2 week workshop for STEM teachers. Backed by education research from elite universities, teachers learn an interactive engagement pedagogy called Modeling Instruction. The pedagogy doubles students' conceptual understanding over traditional teaching methods.
I am honored to volunteer as a Board Member of this non-profit organization that has trained thousands of teachers since 1995.

AMTA has been crucial in my development as a science educator. This organization has given me the skills and curricula necessary to prepare my students for the 21st century. It has also brought me into a community of dedicated, committed, and passionate educators for our students.

Over a decade ago, this I first encountered this organization when I took a training that they offered in Phoenix. It was not only positively impactful, but the level of continuing support and development that the organization provided over the years has been priceless. They really seek to support teaching, leading and learning in STEM education. And for that I am grateful.

This is a group run by teachers for teachers. They work to help teachers employ methods of instruction that support durable learning for students and that foster positive and supportive relationships in classrooms. They also do so at relatively low costs for cash-strapped teachers who wish to improve their teaching and they provide a network of great professionals that support each other. I have participated in multiple trainings and workshops from AMTA as well as a productive on-line conference that has transformed my physics teaching. I can't wait to see what I learn next from AMTA!

AMTA provides high-quality professional development that has improved my professional practice and equipped me to better serve my students.

American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) has positively impacted my life in so many ways. The support they provide STEM teachers throughout the nation is astounding, and I know that K-12 students are receiving a better STEM education thanks to AMTA. I believe in the work that AMTA does and the organization truly deserves recognition as a Top-Rated Nonprofit!

I went to my first Modeling workshop 10 years ago, near the beginning of my teaching career. Within a couple of years, by integrating the Modeling Instruction pedagogy (including Socratic dialogue), the investigative labs, and the curriculum into my physics classes, I was able to transform my classroom completely from a teacher centered environment where students learned facts about physics to a student centered environment where they learned how to ask scientific questions, make inferences from data, and learn physics in a much more integrated way. To me it is clear that now and in the future we will need people, whether they go into STEM careers or not, who understand how to think critically and scientifically and how to apply that thinking to challenging political, economic, and environmental issues. I hope AMTA is able to continue reaching more teachers to equip them to implement this methodology and make science more accessible and comprehensible to students all over this country and world.

AMTA and Modeling Instruction have revolutionized how I approach science education. My classroom is more student centered and provides constant opportunities to allow students to design and carry out investigations as well as develop models to explain their findings. AMTA has provided the best PD I've ever experienced. I highly encourage other teachers look into the resources provided on our website.

I first attended an AMTA workshop as a first-year physics teacher. Having 0 experience in physics, I attended to develop my own content knowledge in physics so I could provide quality education for my students. This workshop far exceeded my expectations and not only did I learn physics, I learned how to be a teacher. I so believe in the AMTA and Modeling Instruction that I started a PhD so I could provide even more data and evidence to support this pedagogical practice across content areas. I highly recommend Modeling Instruction workshops for all STEM teachers,

AMTA provides outstanding professional development centered around Modeling Instruction. Modeling Instruction has helped me dramatically improve the quality of my teaching and the work of my students. Modeling Instruction workshops (I've been involved in five so far as both student and leader) have been the best professional development experiences in my career. Further, AMTA connects me to a network of the best teachers I know, who continually push me to be a better teacher.

The AMTA is the best professional organization I have ever been a part of. I've served as an officer, volunteered, presented, and attended many workshops, conventions, and meetings for multiple STEM teacher associations in Hawai'i, Illinois, and nationally. The people, the knowledge, skill set, and experiences gained from the leaders and fellow teachers in the AMTA are the most valuable in my over 20-year teaching & curriculum writing career. If you want to be part of something dynamic, innovative, and collaborative this is the golden pot at the end of the rainbow.

I took my first Modeling workshop in 1995, and Modeling completely changed how I taught physics in the most positive way. Our school's science department is now entirely Modeling trained, and our science enrollment is through the roof. I have now led 26 workshops myself, and have trained over 600 teachers, who have in turn, impacted hundreds of thousands of students in their science classes. The AMTA continues its valuable work today with workshops nationwide, webinars on modeling methodology, curriculum development, and many more contributions to STEM education.

Modeling Instruction has dramatically improved the way my students learn and interact with each other, and the AMTA has provided a crucial professional support network for me and other teachers.

I was introduced to Modeling Instruction and the American Modeling Teachers Association when I took my first Modeling Workshop in 2011. This workshop revolutionized the way that I teach and learn. The AMTA has provided me with a community of educators that supports my improvement as a science educator. The AMTA has supported me with beneficial professional development through summer workshops and meetings. The AMTA provides well-developed curricular resources that I utilize in my classroom.

After 18 years of teaching chemistry in a fairly traditional manner, I took my first Modeling workshop and have never looked back. Year 19 was like being a new teacher all over again and I loved it!!! My students are engaged and help each other to learn and thrive. This is so encouraging to see each day in my classroom.

The organization is full of passionate and dedicated teachers. They care about their craft and about the way their students learn. Modeling Instruction changed my teaching, made my classes more interactive, and helped my students learn & engage in ways they hadn't before. I was so happy that I put in the time & effort to attend a Modeling Workshop and would highly recommend it to STEM teachers looking to make a change.

I have been involved with AMTA for over 8 years. They started as an organization of teachers striving to continue a tradition of training teachers, when that tradition seemed doomed to end due to disappearing grant funds. AMTA has done amazing work, with 50+ teacher trainings offered most summers across the USA. AMTA's teacher trainings help teachers learn to deliver extremely high-quality science education to millions of students in the US. They are doing a fantastic job!

By my 15th year of teaching, before I attended Modeling Workshops in 1998 and 99, I was a good physics teacher. I had the plaques and certificates to prove it. Yet, learning to use Modeling Instruction fundamentally transformed me as a teacher and as a thinker. subsequently the Modeling Teacher community supported my ongoing evolution as a modeler and teacher. Modeling provides an overarching structure--conceptual models and modeling practices--to what I do with my students in the classroom, and it allows me to hear (out loud) and see their representations of what they are thinking and how they make sense of the learning tasks in which they engage. Building, testing, refining and applying conceptual models shapes the way I think now...about everything...and ultimately has defined my career as an educator and a researcher. AMTA makes this transformation possible for science teachers by providing them with an effective pedagogy, a large supportive virtual community of practice and an extensive library of teaching resources in all the sciences taught in middle and high school. It is a grassroots teacher community--driven by the needs of the teachers it supports. It makes a tremendous impact--reaching 1000 teachers every summer with 2- to 3-week Modeling Workshops on an extremely modest annual budget (~$250K). Imagine what it could do with more resources...

Joining AMTA and learning about the Modeling Instruction(TM) pedagogy was surely one of the wisest decisions I've made. It connected to me to an amazing group of highly dedicated educators from across the country, deepened my understanding of science content, reaffirmed my passion for teaching STEM, and even opened doors for me that I didn't know existed. Becoming trained in Modeling Instruction(TM) was a profound experience for me - it was incredibly insightful and motivating.

I was introduced to Modeling Instruction in 1995 as part of the initial set of national Modeling Instruction workshops for physics teaching. This methodology had such a significant impact on my teaching that I became a "modeling evangelist", leading modeling workshops and doing my best to spread the word of this superior methodology for teaching physics. Like most people who had the opportunity to experience this career changing workshop, I became worried that this would not be available for future physics teachers once National Science Foundation funding ran out for this project. Not wanting to see Modeling Instruction go the way of such excellent curriculum projects as PSSC and ChemStudy, I was eager to become a member of a grass roots organization dedicated to preserving Modeling Instruction and expanding it to disciplines beyond physics. I have been a member of AMTA since early in the existence, and was eager to serve in a leadership role within the organization. When I meet preservice and inservice science teachers, I always encourage them to consider taking a Modeling Instruction workshop and to become a member of AMTA. It is the best thing one can do to to become a better science teacher.

In my opinion, AMTA is one of the best organizations offering professional development for teachers. PD is not always readily available, nor is it always applicable to STEM practices, but AMTA Modeling Workshops are content-specific and help teachers improve their teaching practices. With the NGSS now in effect in many states, I think more school districts should use AMTA for PD because Modeling Instruction ties into all three dimensions of NGSS. This is a fantastic organization...thank you!

ATMA has helped my professional carrier by providing such an usuful and innovating methods to support students learning. Keep up on amazing work!

AMTA is a great organization. It has many useful resources.

AMTA has been a constant source of encouragement, motivation and amazing professional development throughout my teaching career.

AMTA helped to transform my teaching and it strengthened my content knowledge as well. It is a supportive organization and a great community for STEM teachers.

I first attended a physics workshop in 1995. That workshop truly changed the course of my career as well as helping me to support student learning in my classrooms to this day. I highly recommend supporting the good work of this organization.

I attended my first Modeling Instruction workshop in 2007. From that time on I was hooked. I'm now teaching my students to DO science, not just to learn it. Since then I have attended two other workshops, and each time I gather skills for my classroom.

I have co-lead one workshop, and was impressed by the quality of the teachers attending the workshop.

In 2012, I was elected as Treasurer of AMTA, and am thrilled to be able to serve the membership.