Author Archives: marcreif

Unknown's avatar

About marcreif

I live and teach high school physics in the town I was born in, Fayetteville, Arkansas. My professional interests include modeling instruction and incorporating elements of modeling in AP Physics. I also work as a College Board Workshop Consultant, leading AP Physics Teacher workshops. I coauthored the Teacher Resource Manual for the popular textbook College Physics for the AP Physics 1 & 2 Courses, the AP Physics 2 Curriculum Module, and have contributed to other publications, including The Physics Teacher. I am an AP Physics Exam Reader, and I served as the chair of the College Board SAT Physics Test Development Committee, and a member of the College Board Science Academic Advisory Committee. I was the 2016 College Board Southwest Region AP Award recipient, and a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2021.

Pinterest Boards for Teachers

Posted on June 5, 2017 by marcreif

Last year, inspired by my oldest daughter’s obsession with Pinterest, I started making Pinterest boards for high school physics teaching. Pinterest is a website that allows you to create “bulletin boards” of images (with a snippet of text) “pinned” from … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning, AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Physics C, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Racism and the past

Posted on October 12, 2016 by marcreif

Last summer I drove through the delta from Searcy, Arkansas to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It’s a pleasant drive. The land is mostly farmland, dedicated to cotton, soybeans, and rice. The delta is an area of rich soils, plentiful water, and productive farms. Arkansas … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The First Day of School: Marshmallows and Spaghetti

Posted on July 28, 2016 by marcreif

I have used this as a first-day activity for several years. Students walk in, and sit in groups of three or four assigned for them. The groups are given a large marshmallow, 20 sticks of spaghetti, about a meter of masking … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning, Modeling., Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

TESS has no meat on her bones

Posted on June 2, 2016 by marcreif

There are structural and cultural problems with the Arkansas Department of Education’s newish Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS), the system by which teachers are evaluated. TESS is not really going to change anything. TESS is based on Charlotte Danielson’s “The … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What should a kid get out of high school science?

Posted on May 15, 2016 by marcreif

Some friends asked me this question recently, and I gave a bad answer. In my bad answer I said something like “They should know some things. Some big ideas.” And I listed a few that came to mind, like conservation of … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Good Intentions

Posted on May 7, 2016 by marcreif

The Board of Education of the state of Arkansas has recently released the descriptions of the new Next Generation Science Standards-inspired courses for high school, debuting 2017-2018:  Proposed High School Science Courses. There are a lot of things to like in this plan. … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Using Tasks Inspired by Physics Education Research

Posted on May 7, 2016 by marcreif

Below are my thoughts on the Tasks Inspired by Physics Education Research (TIPERS). These are really excellent tools to promote discussion in your physics class, no matter what the level. I strongly recommend buying one or more of these books. By … Continue reading →

Posted in about teaching and learning, AP Physics 1 and 2, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Standards-Based Quizzing

Posted on October 14, 2015 by marcreif

This year in AP Physics 1 I’ve made a step towards Standards-Based Grading. I know I am several years behind the curve on this, but I am glad that I finally decided to make it happen. The slower pace of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Bare wires

Posted on April 11, 2015 by marcreif

In the last couple of years, I have made good use of the “bare wire” lab for electric potential difference. I first learned a version of this lab in the Modeling curriculum for electricity and magnetism. In this activity, students … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

SBG Homework only?

Posted on January 2, 2014 by marcreif

Tell me this is stupid. I haven’t found the time to implement Standards-Based Grading in my classes, even though I went to a great session on it at AAPT Summer Meeting in Portland in 2013. So, over the break I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment