Dan Shepardson

Research Areas

• Earth Space/Science Education

Education

PhD The University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA

Research Interests

• Learners' conceptions about the environment
• The role of social interaction in learners' construction of knowledge
• The role of children's self-produced science journals in the meaning making process
• The impact of alternative assessment on learners' construction of knowledge

Teaching Interests

• Environmental Science, Environmental Education, Science Education
• EAS 312 Capstone Env Sci for Elem Teachers

Awards and Honors

• Gustav Ohaus Program for Innovations in College Science Teaching
• U.S. Department of Energy Award for Energy Innovation
• Utah Governor's Award for Excellence in Energy Innovation
• NEA/Kodak National Award winner, Cameras in the Curriculum
• Professional Experience
• Developing Activities for Conceptualizing Climate and Climate Change, NSF, GeoSciences (with Dev Niyogi)
• Web-based Case Studies for Learning about Watersheds. Teaching & Learning Technology Grant, ITaP, Purdue University
• Externally funded projects:
• ENVISION: A regional environmental science institute for teachers. National Science Foundation (with Jon Harbor )
• Children's Literacy and Science Project (CLASP). Toyota USA Foundation (with Susan Britsch)
• Environmental Science Institute for Indiana Teachers
• Indiana Commission for Higher Education (with Jon Harbor )
• INtegrating LABoratory instruction and assessment (INLAB). National Science Foundation.

Selected Publications

• Shepardson D.P. (2008). Sandstone light and shadow. Nature Photographer, 19(2), 18-22.
• Shepardson, D.P., Wee, B., Priddy, M., & Harbor, J. (2007). Students' Mental Models of the Environment. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(2), 327-348.
• Shepardson, D.P. & Britsch, S.J. (2006). Zones of interactions: Differential access to elementary science discourse. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(5), 443-466.
• Shepardson, D.P., Harbor, J., & Wee, B. (2005). Water towers, pump houses, and mountain streams: students' ideas about watersheds. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53(4), 381-386.
• Shepardson, D.P. (2005). Student ideas: What is an environment? The Journal of Environmental Education, 36(4), 49-58.
• Shepardson, D.P. & Harbor, J. (2004). ENVISION: The effectiveness of a dual-level professional development model for changing teacher practice. Environmental Education Research , 10(4), 471-492.
• Shepardson, D.P., Harbor, J., Cooper, B., & McDonald, J. (2002). The impact of a professional development program on teachers' understandings about watersheds, water quality, and stream monitoring. Journal of Environmental Education , 33(3), 34-40.
• Shepardson, D.P. (2002). Bugs, butterflies, and spiders: Children's understandings about insects. International Journal of Science Education , 24(6), 627-643.
• Shepardson, D.P. & Britsch, SJ. (2001). The role of children's journals in elementary school science activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 38(1), 43-69.
• Shepardson, D.P. (2001). Assessment in science: A guide to professional development and classroom practice (Ed.). Dordrecht , Netherlands : Kluwer Academic Publishers.