About Kevin D. Finson

Kevin is a retired professor of science education. He taught 34 years at the college level, two at the high school level, and five at the middle school level. He is an earth scientist by training but also has taught physical, life, and other science stuff (as well as some stuff on instructional theory and program evaluation). He really, really likes inquiry learning.

He has a sense of humor and really likes puns and shaggy dog stories. Since his retirement, he started to write children's books for his grandchildren and is now trying to get them published for others to enjoy.

During his working career, Kevin was heavily involved in service to professional science education associations and maintained a consistent publication record that included the publication of eight books, some chapters and monographs, and a bunch of refereed (reviewed) journal articles. Most of his publication focus has been on science for students with disabilities and on students' perceptions about scientists and visual data. Want more? Read below.

Kevin is a professor emeritus of science education at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. During his 18 years there, he taught science education courses including teaching methods courses for elementary, middle school, and secondary school teachers, instructional theory, program evaluation, and effective teaching strategies for health science majors.

Prior to his tenure at Bradley University, he taught at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where he taught elementary science methods and pedagogical content courses in earth science, physical science, measurement, and energy education. His first college teaching was at Valley City State College in Valley City, North Dakota, where he taught science methods courses (elementary and secondary), as well as science content courses in earth science, paleontology, meteorology, oceanology, and geomorphology.

Regardless of where and what he taught, Kevin always utilized inquiry learning approaches with his students. Many struggled with learning this way rather than just being given information, but Kevin persisted, believing strongly that learning via inquiry would best prepare students for real life.

Throughout his career, Kevin maintained a consistent record of publication in national refereed and practitioner journals. Among his publications are eight books, several of which focus on visual data in science education, and one on how to modify science instructional materials and assessments for students who have special learning needs.

Kevin's interest in this area stemmed from his desire to help people he knew who struggled with learning science because of a condition called dyslexia. This has been one of Kevin's primary focus areas of research and writing, and his work eventually led to his publication (co-authoring) of a book about how teachers can make adjustments and modifications to written materials, procedures, and simple equipment so students who have specific learning disabilities can successfully engage in doing science.

The second research area Kevin focused on was students' perceptions of scientists, which included development of a framework to guide science educators in dealing with students' conceptions of scientists. His research and writing with respect to the Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST) evolved into research on pre-service teachers' perceptions of themselves as science teachers, and then into visual data, what they are and how they are used (or should be used) by both teachers and learners.

His publication record includes twelve chapters in other people's books, five monographs, including one for middle school and high school students on how corn grows and is used, and over sixty refereed professional journal articles. One of the highlights of his "publication" career was co-developing and co-hosting a live satellite television program for middle school science students about careers in science, technology, mathematics and engineering that was shown nationally for three years.