SCIENCE TEACHING CENTER: J. Randy McGinnis, PhD
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I am a tenured faculty member in the Science Teaching Center (Department of Curriculum & Instruction) at the University of Maryland (UM). Prior to UM, I was a faculty member in the Department of Science Education at the University of Georgia (UGA). In addition to teaching science education, I have served as a Principal Investigator (Research) for the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a NSF funded mathematics and science teacher education program and as Project Director for the NSF funded research study Project NEXUS that is studying the recruitment, preparation and retention of upper elementary/middle school science teachers—particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups (projectnexus.umd.edu). I provide science education expertise to the National Science Foundation, the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and NASA.
My research interests are clustered in three areas and are reported in journal, book, and conference proceedings formats: 1. Science teachers' knowledge bases and how they relate to professional identity development 2. Equity education; and 3. Cross-curricular connections. I present at the annual meetings of: the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association for the Education of Teachers of Science (AETS), and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). I was awarded the NARST Early Career Research Award (first 5 years of work). Special acknowledgement was made of my use of diverse social science research methods in the study of science learning and innovations in science teacher education.
I am editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (the Editorial Office is housed at UM in the College of Education, Department of Curriculum & Instruction). I have served as an internationally elected Executive Board Member on the NARST Board and the ASTE Board (2000-2003). I serve on the editorial boards of the American Educational Research Journal and the Journal of Elementary Science Education.
I became a science educator as result of my experience in the Peace Corps. I graduated from UGA with a B.S. (with honors) in Geology (minor in Philosophy). I obtained an M.A. and an Ed. M. in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a PhD in Science Education from UGA.
My science teaching practice extends from 1981 and includes middle level (Swaziland, Africa), high school (Bronx, NYC), and elementary (Oregon and Georgia). My science education teaching practice in higher education (undergraduate and graduate levels) extends from 1992. I also regularly design and teach inservice workshops for science teachers (domestic and international). My honors include awards connected to my teaching and school service (Rookie Teacher of the Year in the Bronx, NYC; Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, UGA; Lilly-Center for Teaching Excellence Fellowship, UM; Outstanding Service to the Schools, UM; and Global Awareness in Teacher Education Fellow, UM).
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