Faculty

Thomas O'Brien

Professor, Graduate School of Education

Office: AB- 126B
Phone: 607-777-4877
Fax: 607-777-3587
E-mail: tobrien@binghamton.edu

Educational Background

PhD, Curriculum and instruction/Science education, University of Maryland, College Park
MA, Curriculum and instruction/Chemical education, University of Maryland, College Park
BA, Chemistry and secondary education, Thomas More College

Teaching Profession
Courses regularly taught

Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations in the Pedagogy of Science
Curriculum and Teaching in Science
Practica in Teaching Science
Leadership in Educational Settings

Current Research Interests

Minds-on constructivist approaches to science teaching and teacher education (e.g., use of inquiry-based, discrepant event activities and analogies to challenge misconceptions)
Science teacher leadership and professional development networks
Science-society technology and integrated, real-world relevant STEM curriculum development
Web as a resource for science teachers: see the large collection of websites and annotated bibliographies at: http://csmte.binghamton.edu/links.html

Selected Publications

Brain-Powered Science: Teaching and Learning with Discrepant Events (2010), More BPS… (2011) and Even More BPS… (2011): This NSTA Press series features a new dual-purpose instructional strategy for use in preservice science methods courses, inservice science professional development programs and by individual science teachers (grades 5-12). See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-P_h8Fyf_-c for a 7-minute interview where the author answers questions about the focus of the book series by demonstrating a discrepant event.

Each activity in the three books (used singly or combined in any order) serves both as a:

(1) model, inquiry-oriented, discrepant event activity for teaching science to grades 5-12 students (in a way that is Safe, Simple, Economical, Enjoyable, Effective & Relevant/S₂EE₂R criteria) and (2) visual participatory analogy for science teacher education that teaches teachers principles of research-informed, Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment, best practices.

Like all NSTA Press books, these books are modestly priced (in traditional paper form and as e-books) and allow anyone to download for free the Introduction + Table of Content + a Sample activity. Go to: http://www.nsta.org/publications/press/brainpowered.aspx (click on Read More for the individual books & then scroll down to Read Inside to download the free materials). The three free activities for the respective books in the BPS series are:

Activity 16. Air Mass Matters: Creating a Need-to-Know [activities that make air “sensible”]

Activity 15. Measurements & Molecules Matters: Less is More & Curriculum “Survival of the Fittest” [compelling macroscopic evidence for the molecular view of matter]

Activity 10. Osmosis and “Naked” Eggs: The Environment Matters [a 5E Teaching Cycle unit]

Additionally, the hundreds of URLs cited in the Internet Connections feature are available free-of-charge at the NSTA Press Extras page: http://www.nsta.org/publications/press/extras/.

Busch, J.R., O’Brien, T.P., & Spangler, W.D. (2005). Increasing the quantity and quality of school leadership candidates through formation experiences. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 11(3).
Stamp, N. & O’Brien, T. (January 2005). GK-12 Partnership: A Model to Advance Change in Science Education. Bioscience, 55(1), 70-77.
Green, D.W. & O’Brien, T. The Internet's Impact on Teacher Practice and Classroom Culture. T.H.E. Journal, V.29, No.11 (June 2002), 44-51. [available at http://thejournal.com/Articles/2002/06/01/The-Internets-Impact-on-Teacher-Practice-and-Classroom-Culture.aspx].
O’Brien, T. & Seager, D. (Nov. 2000). 5 E(z) steps to teaching earth-moon scaling: An interdisciplinary mathematics/science/technology mini-unit. SchoolScience & Mathematics, 100(7), 390-395.
O’Brien, T. (Oct. 2000). A toilet paper timeline of evolution: A 5 E cycle on the concept of scale. American Biology Teacher, 62 (8), 578-582.
O'Brien, T.& Cheeks, D. (1996). NYSTEP Teacher Guide. Albany, NY: New York State Education Department. See Research Highlights to read more about this guide.
O'Brien, T. (1992). Science inservice workshops that work for elementary teachers. School Science and Mathematics, 92, 422-426.
O'Brien, T. (1991). The science and art of demonstrations. Journal of Chemical Education, 68, 933-936.
American Chemical Society, (1988). Chemistry in the Community (ChemCom). Dr. O'Brien was a contributing author for student text and Editor/Author for Teacher's Guide.

Other Professional Activities

Co-Principal Investigator on numerous grants:

Big Ideas in Science Institute (BISI), funded by NYSED
Graduate Teaching Fellows in Elementary School Education, funded by NSF GK12
Community Collaboration to Enhance Investigative Biology, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Community of Faculty and Student Scholars in Biology, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Improving Access, Success and Teaching Performance in Molecular Biology, funded by the National Science Foundation
Statewide Training for Educators in Physical Sciences (STEPS), funded by the National Science Foundation
STEP-UP: Southern Tier Educators Program for Understanding Physics, funded by the New York State Education Department

Selected Recognitions

University and Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching, 1999
New York State Association of Teacher Educator's (NYSATE) R. Neal Appleby Award for New York State's "Outstanding Teacher Educator," 1999