Fostering Scientific Minds: Creative Teaching Strategies with Chris Kesler

ScIC "Science is Cool" Unplugged

In this episode, science educator and founder of Kesler Science, Chris Kesler, joins Dave to discuss how to create student-focused learning that teaches them not just science concepts but how to learn and grow on their own by creating meaningful classroom experiences. They emphasize the importance of knowing your classroom and being attentive to student needs while keeping the focus on fostering a lifelong love of scientific discovery that can be carried into all aspects of learning. They acknowledge and discuss funding issues within science departments and give some advice on possibly how to gain funding and to encourage districts to invest in interactive science tools. They also discuss the importance of science to the learning mind and emphasize the use of science to teach important math and reading combination skills.

They emphasize Texas and the changes that are being made within Texas curriculum and the importance of those improvements. Chris has a passion for customizable learning and adaptation of lessons and concepts to fit whatever type of classroom a teacher might find themself in.

Find Kesler Science at: https://keslerscience.com/

Connect with Chris at: https://www.facebook.com/chrisjkesler

ABOUT CHRIS

Chris Kesler is a former award-winning middle school science teacher. When he started teaching, he was underwhelmed by the lack of meaningful resources and overwhelmed by the small amount of time he had to create experiences for his students. He spent thousands of hours of his own time creating lessons, all designed from the ground up with four non-negotiables in mind:

• Experiences have to be engaging.

• Lessons have to build relationships.

• Activities need to be student-centered and allow for student choice.

• Students need to connect their learning to the real-world.

With these principles in place, the transformation that happened in his class was nothing short of spectacular. He noticed an increase in participation and engagement throughout the year. His test scores improved. More importantly, students made connections to the content, which built their confidence and gave them a sense of responsibility for their learning. Chris eventually stepped out of the classroom to focus on helping other teachers feel less stressed and more confident in their day-to-day teaching. He created Kesler Science LLC, and today his materials have been used by tens of thousands of teachers across the country and around the world.