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Science Connections

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Welcome to Science Connections! Science is changing before our eyes, now more than ever. How do we help kids (and ourselves) keep up? How are we preparing students to be the next generation of 21st-century scientists?

Join our host Eric Cross as he sits down with educators, scientists, and subject matter experts on ways to best support students in science classrooms. Hear how to inspire kids across the country to love learning science, and how you can bring that magic into your own classroom.

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Join our community and get new episodes every other Wednesday!

We’ll also share new and exciting free resources for your classroom every month!

Current episode

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Science as the underdog, and the research behind it

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Get ready for season 3 of Science Connections: The Podcast!

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’ve found and their experiences as former educators to show how science is often overlooked in K–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’s needed to change science and its impact on a larger scale.

Available episodes

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Listen to our available episodes below!

Winter Wrap-Up

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Listen to the Winter Wrap-Up!

Episode 3

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Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 3.

Supporting students with a creative twist: A conversation with Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year, Shad Lacefield.

Listen to the last episode in our Winter Wrap-Up! In this conversation from season 1, Eric sits down with Shad Lacefield, 2021 Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year. Shad shares his experience teaching during the first year of the pandemic, which included dressing up in over 100 costumes to create unique and engaging online learning experiences for his students. Shad also explains ways he connects with his students to celebrate student success, as well as large-scale efforts he leads within his school to cultivate the love of learning science content.

Episode 2

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Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 2.

Overcoming adversity in the science classroom: A conversation with Joe McCormick.

While we’re hard at work producing the exciting third season of Science Connections, we’re continuing to share some of our favorite conversations from our first two seasons. This time we’re revisiting a popular episode from season 1: Overcoming adversity in the science classroom: A conversation with Joe McCormick, director of engineering at SplitSpot. Hear Joe’s story about losing his vision at a young age, gaining new support and community, and offering thanks to the educators whose flexibility helped him along his journey to becoming a software engineer.

Episode 1

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Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 1.

Creating community and joy within K–8 science instruction.

As we prep for an exciting new season of Science Connections, we’re looking back at past seasons and sharing some of the amazing conversations we’ve had so far.

First up: Creating community and joy within K–8 science instruction, with physicist and science education specialist Desiré Whitmore. In this episode, we join Eric Cross as he sits down with Desiré to hear about her work at the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory. Eric and Desiré discuss finding passion in science, the importance of meeting students where they’re at, and K–8 science instruction with real-life connections. Desiré chats with Eric about her work on supporting the science of teaching science content at the Exploratorium museum.

Season 2

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Listen to Season 2!

Episode 6

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Season 2, Episode 6.

Making time for science in the K–5 classroom.

In this episode, Eric Cross sits down with TikTok star and podcast host Lauran Woolley about her experience teaching science content within her K–5 classroom. Lauran shares how she’s learned how to make time for science, and what most K–5 teachers experience when creating their own science curriculum. Lauran also talks about her rise in popularity on TikTok, her podcast, Teachers Off Duty, and establishing strong relationships with her 5th grade students.

Episode 5

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Season 2, Episode 5.

Moving students forward with project-based learning.

In this episode, Eric Cross sits with K–5 educator Janis Lodge to chat about building on her own science curriculum to create meaningful project-based learning experiences. Janis shares her work teaching Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), and how to use those practices to help accelerate the learning of all students. Eric and Janis also talk about making time for science within K–5 classrooms.

Episode 4

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Season 2, Episode 4.

Gamification in the K–8 classroom.

In this episode, with his colleague and friend Fabian Hofmann to talk through gamification in the K–8 classroom. They discuss Fabian’s experience teaching outside of the United States, and the differences in classrooms outside of the country. Fabian explains the integration of game mechanisms in the classroom, standard-based grading, and shifting student thinking about learning by forming strong relationships. Fabian also shares how he created a new STEM course at his school revolving around his own passion for Star Wars.

Episode 3

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Season 2, Episode 3.

Building meaningful student connections in the science classroom.

In this episode, Eric Cross sits down with Indiana State Teacher of the Year, Sharita Ware, to talk about how to successfully build meaningful student connections in the science classroom. Sharita shares her journey from a corporate career to becoming Indiana’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, and her passion for creating project-based lessons for her students. Together, Eric and Sharita discuss how educators can teach students to love science content by building strong relationships, adding in other content areas, and supporting students’ imagination.

Episode 2

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Season 2, Episode 2.

Developing your own teaching style: Tips from a veteran teacher.

In this episode, Eric Cross sits down with veteran educator and former Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Middle School Science Teacher of the Year, Marilyn Dieppa. During the show, Marilyn shares tips for new teachers, ways to inspire students, and how she utilizes her journalism background to develop literacy skills within her science classroom. She also shares her experiences developing a robotics academy, and the VEX IQ World’s Competition.

Episode 1

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Science Connections S02-01

Season 2, Episode 1.

How teachers are really feeling this school year: Eric Cross

In this special solo episode, Eric Cross starts the season by sharing his personal journey as an educator, and how the difficulties of the last few years have shaped his mindset going into the upcoming school year. Eric also addresses teacher burnout and what inspires him to continue working as a classroom educator.

Season 1

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Listen to Season 1!

Episode 10

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Jessica Kelser

Season 1, Episode 10.

Empowering the science educator: Jessica Kesler

In the final episode of the season, Eric sits down with his friend and professional development facilitator, Jessica Kesler. During the episode, Jessica describes her passion for sharing high-quality, empathy-centered professional development for K–12 educators. The conversation also dives into Jessica’s experiences teaching in Philadelphia, and how teachers’ roles often involve more than just delivering content.

Episode 9

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Season 1, Episode 09.

Supporting K–8 science students in the digital world: Ricky Mason

In this episode, Eric sits down with Ricky Mason, chief executive officer of BrainSTEM. Ricky shares his passion for inspiring students into science careers, and his path from an engineering career with organizations like the Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Central Intelligence Agency to starting BrainSTEM, an education program that develops creative digital tools to enable all teachers and students to dive deeper into STEM content. Ricky and Eric talk about representation in science classrooms and the importance of embedding fun within K–8 science content!

Episode 8

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Season 1, Episode 08.

The importance of risk-taking in the science classroom, a conversation with Valeria Rodriguez

In this episode, our host Eric Cross sits down with Miami-based educator, Valeria Rodriguez. Valeria shares her journey of serving in the Peace Corps, working a corporate job, and eventually finding her passion as a middle-school science teacher. Listen in as Valeria explains how sketchnoting, a form of note-taking that utilizes illustrations, encourages student choice and creativity in her classroom. Eric and Valeria also discuss the importance of risk-taking within the science classroom, and how their own mistakes can be crucial in modeling resilience for students. Lastly, Valeria shares several teachers that have inspired her throughout her career.

Episode 7

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Season 1, Episode 07.

Overcoming adversity in the science classroom: A conversation with Joe McCormick

In this episode, Eric sits down with Joe McCormick, director of engineering at SplitSpot. Joe shares about this experience losing his central vision in high school and the transition into college at Harvard. Eric and Joe chat about self advocacy within the classroom, and scaffolds that worked for Joe as he learned how to navigate the world with his disability. Eric also learns about beep baseball, the adapted national pastime for the blind and visually impaired, and the importance its community for Joe’s journey to become an engineer. Lastly, Joe shares about accessibility tools, college acceptance, and how to motivate students to love computer science.

Episode 6

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Season 1, Episode 06.

Supporting students with a creative twist: a conversation with Kentucky Science Teacher of the year, Shad Lacefield

In this episode, Eric sits down with the Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year, Shad Lacefield. Shad shares his experience teaching during the first year of the pandemic, where Shad dressed up in over 100 costumes to create a unique and engaging online learning experience for his students. Shad also explains ways he connects with his students to celebrate student success, as well as large-scale efforts he leads within his school to cultivate the love of learning science content.

Episode 5

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Season 1, Episode 05.

How does coding fit in the science classroom? A conversation with Aryanna Trejo of Code.org

In this episode, Eric sits down with Aryanna Trejo, a professional learning specialist of Code.org. Aryanna shares her journey from working as an elementary teacher in New York City and Los Angeles to teaching other educators at Code.org. Eric and Aryanna chat about computer literacy within the science classroom, problem-solving skills, and ways to model productive struggle for students. Aryanna also shares ways to teach coding and computer literacy in schools, no matter the classroom’s technology level.

Episode 4

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Season 1, Episode 04.

Connecting with students and caregivers in the science classroom: Ryan Rudkin

In this special episode, our host Eric Cross sits down with veteran middle school teacher Ryan Rudkin. Ryan shares her expertise after almost two decades in the classroom, discussing ways to incorporate aspects of problem-based learning into the K–8 science classroom. Eric and Ryan talk about how to increase parent engagement, involve community members, and add excitement to lessons.

Episode 3

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Season 1, Episode 03.

Ways to integrate literacy skills into a K–8 science classroom: Rebecca Abbott

In this episode, our host Eric Cross discusses the importance of integrating literacy skills into science instruction with Rebecca Abbott, Professional Learning Lead at the Lawerence Hall of Science at UC Berkley. Listen in as Rebecca challenges science educators to weave together vocabulary, background knowledge, and an understanding of language structures to help students make sense of complex science texts. Eric and Rebecca chat about ways to infuse literacy in the service of science.

Episode 2

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Season 1, Episode 02.

Community and joy within K–8 science instruction: Desiré Whitmore

In this episode, Eric sits down with physicist and science education specialist, Desiré Whitmore. Listen in as Desiré explains her work at the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory. Eric and Desiré discuss finding passion in science, the importance of meeting students we’re they’re at, and K–8 science instruction with real-life connections. Desiré chats with Eric about her work on supporting the science of teaching science content at the Exploratorium museum.

Episode 1

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Season 1, Episode 01.

The journey from student to SpaceX Engineer: Juan Vivas

In this episode, Eric Cross talks to supply chain engineer Juan Vivas of SpaceX about his experiences growing up as a Latino in STEM. Juan shares his story of moving to the United States to study engineering and becoming successful in his career as a scientist. Juan openly discusses the experiences that made a difference in his life and the teachers that inspired him along the way. He also shares his experience as an engineer in different fields, as well as what it’s like to work in the supply chain during COVID.

About Science Connections

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Season 1, Episode 00.

About Science Connections

Welcome to Science Connections! Science is changing before our eyes, now more than ever. So…how do we help kids figure that out? We will bring on educators, scientists, and more to discuss the importance of high-quality science instruction. In this episode, hear from our host Eric Cross about his work engaging students as a K–8 science teacher.

Meet our host

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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’s 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, STEM has become accessible to students through highly engaging lesson design, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and culturally relevant pedagogy.

Resources

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Check out some helpful resources below!

Free ebook: How to Train Your Robot

Integrate science and literacy by introducing your young readers to cutting-edge...

How to Integrate Literacy Into Scie...

Literacy-rich science instruction in K–5 Immersing young students in reading, wr...

STEM Career Cards

Inspire your students with STEM careers all around them!

Join the community!

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Science Connections: The Community is a space for educators committed to implementing high-quality science instruction. Our conversations are to support our current and future scientists. To hear more from educators, scientists, and curriculum experts, join the community on Facebook.

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