Brenda Rodeheffer

Rodeheffer’s innovative teaching idea, “Electrifying Experience,” is designed to help students explore the connection between electricity and magnetism by investigating, designing, assessing, and creating an alarm circuit that rings when it is time to do an important chore. Hands-on activities and numerous interactive apps on magnetism and electricity will be utilized to enhance student learning and understanding, along with interaction via mobile devices with local electrical engineers. The project will challenge students with a real-life scenario in which they will use teamwork, imagination, and perseverance in small groups to create a product that solves the problem. Students will not only have an understanding of electricity and magnetism, but they will have the experience of interacting with them and seeing the real-life applications of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts. After the alarm circuits have been successfully created, the students will share their creations with younger students and at the local open house/technology fair.