Hello, there.
My name is Pat. I’m glad you’re here.
Patrick Brown, PhD
Like you, I wear many hats. Husband. Father. Son. Neighbor. I’m probably best known for my role as an educator. I am passionate about science and sharing it with others.
Over the course of my teaching career, I have taught a wide variety of students and courses, from elementary school science to professional development for science educators. I want to share what I’ve learned over my journey to help students navigate the path to scientific discovery. I have written and collaborated on a number of research projects and articles, presented my ideas and experiences at academic and professional conferences, and even published five books to help teachers take learning to new levels.
Full Bio
Patrick (Pat) Brown brings a wealth of experience from both a practical and research-based background in education. He currently serves as the executive director of STEAM for one of the largest school districts in Missouri. He coordinates the district curriculum and instruction for all STEAM and Career and Technical Education Programs. He has also taught science lessons across the K-16 continuum. Pat’s most recent full-time classroom position was in a middle school setting teaching physical science. In addition, he has taught a variety of STEM and Science Methods courses for undergraduate and graduate elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Over the years, he has won various awards for my science methods course teaching.
Pat is an accomplished writer, having authored five books, including the NSTA bestselling series Instructional Sequence Matters. He has also written more than 50 peer-reviewed articles. His research has been published in leading journals, including Science Education, the Journal of Science Teacher Education, and the International Journal of Science Education. Pat’s Science Education article “College Science Teachers’ Views of Classroom Inquiry” is one of the most widely-cited research articles detailing the factors facilitating and constraining teachers’ use of inquiry-based teaching. In addition, he has written about his teaching experiences and the powerful impacts of research-based practices on student learning in Science and Children, Science Scope, The Science Teacher, and Science Activities. He is also a frequent contributor to Education Week.
The combination of Pat’s teaching and research experience has helped him better understand the types of professional learning need to reach the vision of contemporary educational reform. He has an extensive background in professional development and is a regular speaker at state and national conferences. In addition, Pat uses his experiences and knowledge of educational scholarship and experiences working with students to help teachers develop pedagogical practices that closely align with modern Standards and research on learning and cognition.
Pat received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Truman State University. Then, he earned a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri Colombia. For his Ph.D., Pat researched professional teacher learning during teacher preparation programs. Finally, Pat was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Washington University, studying how collaboration influences student science achievement.
