Stephen DeMeo

My interest in writing science education books started with a search for meaning. The questions I asked myself 30 years ago as an undergraduate are the same I ask myself today as a teacher: What am I passionate about, how can I live a positive life, what would be the nature of my contribution to the society I live in?

While I didn’t know it then, I began answering these questions through my study of Chemistry and English Literature while I was a student at Stony Brook University in the early 1980’s. Things go a lot clearer when I started to study the relationship between science and teaching at Columbia University where I earned a doctorate in science education. Being a graduate student for many years, and then later becoming a Professor of Science Education at Hunter College, taught me that learning how the physical world works is a complex process. It can be a joyous and satisfying endeavor as well as a long, arduous struggle. It is alleviating, softening, and mediating this struggle that I am most interested in as a teacher, researcher, and writer. Majoring in English and Chemistry has served me well, since now I am committed to writing about better ways to teach students how to understand and do chemistry.

Thus far, I have written extensively about laboratory education and curriculum design for the Journal of Chemical Education, and have published a non-traditional laboratory manual for introductory science majors that is currently being used in our Chemistry Department. I have written two books, one entitled Multiple Solution Methods for Teaching Science in the Classroom, and a more recent one called, Inquiry Science Teaching: A Fire to be Kindled. Right now I am very interested in how visual tools can be used to solve science problems, and understanding ways in which students can meaningfully analyze data in the laboratory.

While my contribution lies with writing, it also involves teaching. In the School of Education at Hunter College I currently teach two courses involving the Methods of Teaching Science, a Student Teaching Seminar, and a course entitled, Science and Society. In these courses I have created a participatory environment where students can directly experience science and discuss their ideas. Additionally, I ask my students to reflect on how they were taught science and challenge the chalk and talk, teacher-centered instruction that epitomize much of science education. It is clear to me that becoming a science teacher is about dealing with one’s own personal history and having the courage to become transformed. My greatest moments come when my students, who have never taught before, perform a lesson where learners can construct a concept from their interactions with science materials. It is indeed a profound experience to witness.