How to Be & Become a Scientist

Especially in these times of so much confusion and misinformation, it is more important than ever that students practice the skills of scientific reasoning, based on principles of scientific inquiry and the methods of evidence-based investigation. Not that every student will grow up to become a science professional, but to be science-literate in a highly technical modern society is a necessity.

I am a Science Education Scientist. That means that I am a researcher/practitioner in the field of Science Education. I study how people learn, and especially how science learning works. I have developed teaching models and tools to aid students to learn inquiry methods. Over the years. I have directed hundreds of hands-on science learning programs for thousands of youth of all ages, in both in-school and out-of-school settings. All of our methods are well-researched and well-practiced in the course of my 50 years as an Educator.

Some of my methods may be be surprising. I emphasize learning with theatrical energy through MimeWrighting, which draws upon the rich expressiveness of writing and the performing arts. Based on the common sense idea that by writing and then acting out the science story, you can better conceptualize the intended learning, it is also a means to inspire conceptual change to advance true understanding.

So as complicated as it may all seem, all the models, tools, and methods we use– are really straightforward and common sense!