Dr. Scott McDonald is a Professor of Science Education at The Pennsylvania State University and Director of the Krause Studios for Innovation in the PSU College of Education. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics. He was high school Physics teacher for six years before returning for a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies and Science Education at the University of Michigan. Dr. McDonald takes a design-based approach to research focuses on science teacher learning and student learning in the geosciences. He researches teacher learning, framed as professional pedagogical vision for ambitious and equitable science teaching practices. His current projects, in collabortion with Amy Pallant and Hee-Sun Lee at the Concord Consortium include The Geological Models for Explorations of Dynamic Earth (GEODE), GeoHazard: Modeling Natural Hazards and Assessing Risks project, and Geological Construction of Rock Arrangements from Tectonics: Systems Modeling Across Scales (GeoCRAFT).
Scott McDonald has hosted 215 Episodes.
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Episode 214: A Phenomenal Episode!
October 9th, 2024 | Season 4 | 48 mins 4 secs
In this episode, we revisit the topic of phenomena and their selection and use in science classes.
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Episode 213: Answering Question #3
October 2nd, 2024 | Season 4 | 48 mins 29 secs
This week we talk about book clubs for professional learning and how to structure them.
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Episode 212: Playing Whack A Mole
September 25th, 2024 | Season 4 | 46 mins 39 secs
In this episode, we discuss the complicated nature of learning space, learning theory, and pedagogy.
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Episode 211: Practice with Morning Ollie
September 18th, 2024 | Season 4 | 38 mins 23 secs
This week we talk about why hands-on and lab activities are not the same as phenomenon-driven science practices.
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Episode 210: Our Nerd Era
September 11th, 2024 | Season 4 | 46 mins 54 secs
This week we talk about AI and what teachers should know about it.
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Episode 209: Celebrating Partnerships
September 4th, 2024 | Season 4 | 41 mins 42 secs
In this episode, we discuss the value of partnerships between higher education institutions and schools.
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Episode 208: Joys to the World, Vol. 4
August 28th, 2024 | Season 4 | 52 mins 5 secs
This is the end of season 4, so it is an all joys episode, so enjoy (see what we did there).
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Episode 207: Devil in the Details
August 21st, 2024 | Season 4 | 48 mins 1 sec
In this episode, we discuss conducting observations of phenomenon-based science classrooms.
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Episode 206: Craft of Carving
August 14th, 2024 | Season 4 | 49 mins 35 secs
This week we talk about teaching as a science, engineering, design, craft, or art practice.
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Episode 205: Project 2025 Explained
August 7th, 2024 | Season 4 | 41 mins 45 secs
In this episode, we outline the educational aspects of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 document.
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Episode 204: The Lark Owl Connection
July 31st, 2024 | Season 4 | 33 mins 55 secs
This week we talk about teaching climate and climate changes in the context of a new book from Mark Widschitl (lead author of the Ambitious Science Teaching book).
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Episode 203: Induction Junction, What's Your Function?
July 24th, 2024 | Season 4 | 41 mins 50 secs
In this episode, we discuss mentoring and induction of new science teachers.
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Episode 202: Who is Your Tribe?
July 17th, 2024 | Season 4 | 37 mins 52 secs
This week we talk about how truth is tribal and social, and so social death is scarier than physical death and why that matters for teaching and learning.
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Episode 201: Not Changing Buses
July 10th, 2024 | Season 4 | 36 mins 36 secs
In this episode, we discuss the sticky subject of transfer in education.
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Episode 200: Talking with Your Dog About Gravity
July 3rd, 2024 | Season 4 | 46 mins 30 secs
This week we dig into the differences between cognitive and sociocultural perspectives on learning and how they characterize not just different ways of learning, but of knowing.
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Episode 199: Two Beefs from Ollie
June 26th, 2024 | Season 4 | 45 mins 53 secs
In this episode, we discuss some of the issues we have with the current discourse around AI in education.