Meet our host: Eric Cross
Eric Cross is a seventh grade science/technology teacher, grade level lead, and digital learning innovator for Albert Einstein Academies, International Baccalaureate schools. He is also an adjunct professor of learning and technology at the University of San Diego and a Google certified innovator. Eric earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Education from the University of San Diego. He had 17 years of experience working with at-risk youth and underserved populations before becoming a middle school teacher. By building relationships with students, colleagues, and the community, he has become an empowered leader in and out of the classroom. Through meaningful learning experiences centered around student agency, he鈥檚 made STEM accessible to students with highly engaging lesson design, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and culturally relevant pedagogy.
S3: Science as the underdog
Season 3 is all about 鈥渟cience as the underdog.鈥� Often overlooked in K鈥�12 classrooms, science is actually key to student success. This season, we investigate why, and discuss how science can be better utilized in schools.
Listen as we dive into hot topics, including tips for integrating science instruction and literacy, the role of project-based learning, and community-building through science.
Tune in to the finale of Science Connections with elementary educator and recipient of the 2023 Anton Banko Award for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science, Kate Bala. In this episode, Kate shares teaching tips on how she seamlessly integrates science with other content areas to give students an engaging, phenomena-based learning experience. Listen to hear about Kate鈥檚 unique teaching style and the helpful tips she offers to make science the superhero of any classroom.
Join us for a new episode with doctoral student and 2023 NSTA keynote speaker, Minerva Contreras. Listen as Minerva tells her science story, discusses the benefits of storytelling in science, and shares how diverse representation and inclusion in science opens doors for all students.
And don鈥檛 forget to grab your to track your learning and find additional resources!
Join us as we continue our discussion on the importance of integrating critical thinking into the science classroom with former teacher and current director of education at the Center for Inquiry, Bertha Vazquez. Listen as Bertha shares her experience with engaging students through identifying pseudoscience, and how developing these skills creates an identifiable impact on the real world.
And don鈥檛 forget to grab your to track your learning and find additional resources!
Join us as we sit down with Melanie Trecek-King, biology professor and creator of Thinking is Power, to explore how much of an asset science can truly be in developing the skills students need to navigate the real world. You鈥檒l learn about 鈥渇ooling鈥� students and the importance of developing critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy in the classroom. We鈥檒l also share real strategies and lesson examples that help build these essential skills and engage students in learning.
And don鈥檛 forget to grab your聽聽to track your learning and find additional resources!
In the latest episode of the Science Connections podcast, we explore AI in education and its impact on students. Listen as I sit down with teachers Donnie Piercey and Jennifer Roberts to discuss ChatGPT and how we can use it to build science and literacy skills in K鈥�12 classrooms while preparing students for the real world.
And don鈥檛 forget to grab your聽聽to track your learning and find additional resources!
We鈥檙e continuing our investigations around science and literacy, with Doug Fisher, Ph.D., professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University. We talk about the importance of integrating science and literacy, as well as practical guidance for teachers who want to unite the two disciplines in their own classrooms.
Listen as we discuss how science and literacy can be powerful allies and talk about specific strategy areas to focus on when integrating the two disciplines. And don鈥檛 forget to grab your 聽to track your learning and find additional resources!
In our second episode of the season, we continue finding ways in which science is overlooked and how it can be better utilized in schools鈥攁nd as an ally to other subjects!
We sat down with Susan Gomez Zwiep, former middle school science teacher and senior science educator and staff advocate at BSCS Science Learning. She shared past experiences and research that shows the benefits of integrating science and literacy, as well as strategies for applying these ideas in the classroom.
In our first episode, we unpack the research around our season theme of science as the underdog, with Horizon Research, Inc. Vice President Eric R. Banilower and Senior Researcher Courtney Plumley. Eric and Courtney dive into the research they鈥檝e found and their experiences as former educators to show how science is often overlooked in K鈥�12 classrooms. We discuss how the science classroom compares to other subjects in terms of time and resources, how schools are a reflection of society, and what鈥檚 needed to change science and its impact on a larger scale.
