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 225 Episodes.
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Episode 80: Dropping Names
March 9th, 2022 | Season 2 | 46 mins 17 secs
In this episode, we discuss Science & Engineering Practices as they're framed in the Next Generation Science Standards.
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Episode 79: Framing the Framework
March 2nd, 2022 | Season 2 | 43 mins 51 secs
In this episode, we discuss the big ideas and shifts in the NRC's A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012).
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Episode 78: Talkin' Bout Practice!
February 23rd, 2022 | Season 2 | 40 mins 55 secs
That is what we talk about this week - practice - specifically the science and engineering practices in the NRC's Framework for K-12 Science Education.
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Episode 77: A Shared Dislike
February 16th, 2022 | Season 2 | 47 mins 16 secs
In this episode, we discuss classroom management and offers ways to reframe the concept in more student-centered and relational ways.
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Episode 76: Not a Numbered List Show
February 9th, 2022 | Season 2 | 41 mins 17 secs
This week we pick our favorite science books (including books that influenced our thinking about science and fictional science books).
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Episode 75: Monkey Business in the Metaverse
February 2nd, 2022 | Season 2 | 45 mins 55 secs
In this episode, we discuss learning progressions for science teachers.
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Episode 74: Believable or Accurate (To Some Degree)
January 26th, 2022 | Season 2 | 35 mins 42 secs
This episode we talk about science movies that we love (or at least ones that we think are worth watching).
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Episode 73: A Meta Effort
January 19th, 2022 | Season 2 | 42 mins 15 secs
In this episode, we talk about using sensemaking to promote sensemaking.
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Episode 72: At the Very End of the Long Tail
January 13th, 2022 | Season 2 | 41 mins 45 secs
This week we dip our toe into the questions of why equity matters in science education. We begin with thinking about why sense making is so central to equity.
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Episode 71: Lessons Learned for 2022
January 5th, 2022 | Season 2 | 47 mins 49 secs
In this episode, we look back at 2021 and what we've learned that we can apply to the new year ahead.
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Episode 70: Stealing Student Agency
December 29th, 2021 | Season 2 | 42 mins 52 secs
We talk about sense making and its importance to science teaching and learning, and also how it is not argumentation.
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Episode 69: Agency All The Way Down
December 22nd, 2021 | Season 2 | 45 mins 4 secs
This week we answer the question "Why are we still doing that?" Or at least we talk about that with regard to science teaching.
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Episode 68: To Express, Not To Know
December 15th, 2021 | Season 2 | 49 mins 14 secs
This week we have a special guest, Dr. Leslie Gates, to talk with us about the relationship between materials, learning, and practices when learning science and art.
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Episode 67: Finding Fish That Don't Exist
December 8th, 2021 | Season 2 | 52 mins 51 secs
In this episode, we discuss what counts in the world of educational research.
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Episode 66: Montillating Our Traxoline
December 1st, 2021 | Season 2 | 47 mins 16 secs
This week we talk about knowing and its relationship to education (mostly science education, but not only).
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Episode 65: Not Bob's Traveling Show
November 24th, 2021 | Season 2 | 41 mins 30 secs
In this episode, Scott and Ollie discuss different features of substantive and impactful professional development for teachers.