I’m fascinated by all things associated with learners and learning.
Whether it is teaching or research, I am deeply committed to finding ways to support teachers in moving towards more effective teaching environments. While the theme of my books focus on the importance of instructional sequence and the importance of developing students conceptual understanding through explore-before-explain learning, I have a diverse research background. I routinely do presentations and workshops based on my educational research and the implications for teaching and curriculum development.
Learn more about my research interests:
Inquiry Based Teaching and Learning
While Inquiry has been a major goal in several of the last iterations of science standards the strategies involved with inquiry can be hard to put into practice for a whole host of reasons. I’ve researched the factors that facilitate and constraint teacher’s views of science inquiry as well as…
Teacher Learning
How teachers develop their professional practice is based on a mired of factors that all influence their learning. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), is a term for the specialized type of knowledge educators need to teach effectively. My research has sought to better understanding the factors that facilitate and constrain teacher…
Collaborative Conversation
How students talk amongst themselves and with us about science is pivotal for their developing understating. I’ve looked closely at the patterns of discourse used by teachers and students to identify conversational structures that lead to deeper learning. My research is some of the first studies in college level chemistry…
Literacy Learning in Science
Students can demonstrate incredible technical reading and writing skills if these approaches are integrated into a meaningful framework for their learning. I have examined the effectiveness of literacy practices on students learning. In addition, I’ve researched how purposeful reading and writing strategies can be thought of as a means to…
Want to work together?
If you share the same passion and excitement for these topics as I do, let’s connect! I’d love to explore the possibility of expanding this body of knowledge.