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 248 Episodes.
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Episode 167: One Query, Two Query, Red Query, Blue Query
November 15th, 2023 | Season 4 | 47 mins 54 secs
In this episode, we discuss different ethical scenarios that relate to the use of generative AI in academic situations.
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Episode 166: Fidelity Landmines
November 8th, 2023 | Season 4 | 43 mins 54 secs
This week we talk about the complexity of "scaling up," or how we try and spread innovations in practice.
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Episode 165: Fallacious Beasts and Where to Find Them
November 1st, 2023 | Season 4 | 42 mins 49 secs
In this episode, we discuss logical fallacies and how they apply to science education reform efforts.
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Episode 164: Old and Regular Practices
October 25th, 2023 | Season 4 | 43 mins 35 secs
This week we talk about the engineering practices, which were added to the science practices as part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
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Episode 163: Caught in Charlotte's Web
October 18th, 2023 | Season 4 | 47 mins 52 secs
In this episode, we attempt to do a cross-walk between Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching and the Next Generation Science Standards and Ambitious Science Teaching.
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Episode 162: Your Cultural Cookies
October 11th, 2023 | Season 4 | 44 mins 32 secs
This week we talk about how we talk about the social and political consequences of science as part of what we do in Ambitious Science Teaching classrooms.
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Episode 161: A Nobel Aspiration
October 4th, 2023 | Season 4 | 45 mins 46 secs
In this episode, we discuss who would qualify for a Nobel Prize in Education, if one existed.
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Episode 160: It Just Something Vibrating
September 27th, 2023 | Season 4 | 36 mins 5 secs
This week we return to the gapless explanation and how it can help with planning and enactment of teaching.
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Episode 159: I'm Julius Sumner Miller...
September 20th, 2023 | Season 4 | 38 mins 13 secs
In the episode, we discuss Julius Sumner Miller, Professor Wonderful.
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Episode 158: Do You Want to be a Sibling?
September 13th, 2023 | Season 4 | 41 mins 6 secs
This week we talk about becoming a new member of a community and how old-timers can support bringing in new folks.
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Episode 157: An Eye on Identity
September 6th, 2023 | Season 4 | 39 mins 37 secs
In this episode, we talk about "professional identity" and how it informs our work in teacher education and science professional development.
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Episode 156: Joys to the World, Vol. 3
August 30th, 2023 | Season 3 | 43 mins 47 secs
This week we share our joys for the year in books, movies, apps, games, and more.
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Episode 155: Crafting Syllabi in a Chat GPT World
August 23rd, 2023 | Season 3 | 46 mins 5 secs
In this episode, we discuss the curricular implications of Chat GPT as we craft our syllabi for the Fall semester.
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Episode 154: Old Guys Going Off a Cliff
August 21st, 2023 | Season 3 | 49 mins 32 secs
This week we talk about how leaders can do their work and how to organize systems to support that work.
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Episode 153: We Are Not The Destroyers of Worlds
August 9th, 2023 | Season 3 | 43 mins 57 secs
In this episode, we talk about Christopher Nolan's movie, Oppenheimer and how science and science education are portrayed.
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Episode 152: Sad Statement About Me as a Son
August 2nd, 2023 | Season 3 | 43 mins 26 secs
This week we talk about professional vision, what it means, and how it helps us understand teacher expertise.