Marla J. Glover2024 National Board of Directors Election Candidate for AAPT Vice President
Marla Glover

(she/hers)

Current Position
Retired High School Math/Physics Teacher
Currently working on a Ph.D. in Physics Education
Department Curriculum and Instruction
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
mjglover@purdue.edu

Education
Ph.D. Physics Education, Purdue University, in progress
M.S. Education, Purdue University, 1985
B.S. Mathematics, minor Physics, Purdue University, 1982

Professional Experience
Purdue University, graduate teaching assistant in Physics, tutoring, research assistant, teaching practicum supervisor, 2018-current
QuarkNet LHC Fellow, workshop facilitator, 2008-current
Rossville High School, mathematics/physics teacher, mathematics department chair, 1982-2018, retired

Honors and Recognitions

  • 2021 Wilson Doctoral Science Education Award 
  • 2020 Delta Kappa Gamma International Doctoral Scholarship 
  • 2017 Indianapolis Star Academic All-Star Most Influential Teacher Award
  • 2008 Purdue University Distinguished Science Alumni
  • 2007 Indiana Section of American Association of Physics Teachers, Teacher of the Year
  • 2002 Sigma Xi, Purdue University Chapter, Mathematics and Physics Teaching Award and Indianapolis Star Academic All-Star Most Influential Teacher Award

Current Memberships

  • American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
  • American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  • QuarkNet
  • Indiana Section of AAPT
  • Hoosier Association of Science Teachers (HASTI)
  • Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG)
  • Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA)
  • National Educators Association (NEA)

AAPT Activities

  • Committee on Contemporary Physics, member 2023-2026, member 2019-2021, chair 2021, vice chair 2020
  • Nominations Committee, member 2018-2019
  • Reviewer for AAPT Guidelines for an Effective High School Physics Program, 2018
  • Committee on High School Physics, member 2013-2017, chair 2017, vice chair 2016

Other Professional Activities

  • Professional Practices and Standards Committee, ISTA 2013-2018, organizing professional development conferences for teachers
  • Professional Resources Action Team, ISTA, 2015-2019, providing professional workshops for teachers
  • President, Rossville Teachers Association, 2008-2012, Discussion Chair, Contract Negotiation Chair, Teacher Evaluation Committee, Technology Planning Committee
  • President, Theta Chapter, DKG, 2016-2020
  • State Rules Committee Chair, Indiana State Organization, DKG, 2019-2021

Candidate Statement

I have been a member of AAPT since 1982, when I started teaching. A professor pointed me to a column in The Physics Teacher journal about “String and Sticky Tape Physics.” This column became one of my must-read items for each issue. I was teaching in a small rural school with no budget for physics because biology and chemistry had more numbers and consumables. The Physics Teacher was my source of ideas and content as I worked to give my students an appreciation of Physics.

As my career progressed, I moved from looking for resources to actively organizing and preparing resources for others. I started doing workshops on technology, both computer usage and using sensors and probes for teachers at my school. I worked within ISTA to create the “Good Teaching Conference” and then participated in creating workshops and organizing resource materials. I worked with other Fellows in QuarkNet to develop teaching materials and facilitate workshops. Through these professional development activities, I found a community of teachers that helped me to grow. Teachers need various sources and opportunities to learn and grow because growth for one is not always growth for others. Diversity of opportunities is the key. AAPT’s commitment to developing materials, hosting content, and providing opportunities for teachers must be shared, promoted, and continued.

As my career matured, I realized that to continue to promote the teaching and learning of Physics, I needed to progress to a phase of teaching future teachers. For this reason, I retired from my High School classroom and started my Ph.D. I needed to be at the university to foster the next generation of physics teachers. Physics teachers are needed everywhere and for all students in all communities. Being open to all students who express interest in Physics allows us to start the seeds in them of being a teacher of Physics.

I have chaired committees in AAPT and other organizations. I have been president of service organizations since college. I have organized professional development workshops for QuarkNet and my school and worked with committees to organize professional conferences for teachers in Indiana. All these opportunities have given me skills and knowledge that I can use for AAPT as Vice President.