Invited Speakers

Steve Chapman | Justin Dillon | Brian Hand | Fujii Hiroki | Joseph Krajcik | Gao Lingbao |
Chia-Ju Liu | Michael R. Matthews | Jongwon Park | David Treagust | Shinho Jang

• Steve Chapman is lecturer in science education at the Institute of Education, University of London, where he teaches pre-service physics and science teachers and also on the MA in science education. He also works for the Science Learning Centre, London working with teachers to support their physics knowledge. Steven’s research interests are about teaching physics in informal environments like science centres and museums. In particular research on the barriers to teaching in such an environment, learning in hands-on galleries and wonder in museums. He is also looking at the impact of CPD in supporting non-specialist teachers. Before working as an academic Steven worked as a teacher, a government scientist and was education manager for the British Association for the Advancement of Science (now the British Science Association) and the Institute of Physics. He has a BSc in astronomy and a DPhil in low-temperature physics. Steven was on the editorial board of Physics Education for 8 years and is on the advisory panel for Educational Research. Steven consults for a number of organizations including broadcasters, research organizations, think-tanks and the UK government. When not working or looking after his children he is probably asleep.
• Justin Dillon is Professor of Science and Environmental Education and Head of the Science and Technology Group at King’s College London. After completing a degree in chemistry, he taught in London schools for 9 years before joining King’s in 1989. Justin’s research interests include teaching and learning in schools, museums, science centres and in the outdoor classroom and is involved in a 5-year ESRC longitudinal study of 10-14-year-old students’ interests and aspirations in science (Aspires). He is one of the coordinators of the Targeted Research Initiative in Science and Mathematics Education funded by a range of bodies including the ESRC, DfE, IoP, ASE and the Gatsby Foundation. Justin is evaluating an EU-funded project, "Towards Women in Science and Technology" (TWIST) which involves science centres in several countries. In 2007, Justin was elected President of the European Science Education Research Association and he co-edits the International Journal of Science Education.
• Brian Hand is a Professor of Science Education at the University of Iowa. He received Ph. D. from the Curtin University. His research focuses on two major areas. The first is on how we can use language as a learning tool to improve students' understanding of science. His work has focused on using writing as a learning tool and is now moving to focus on the use of multi-modal representation within science classrooms. This research extends the use of writing as a learning tool to include different modes of representation. The second area of research is the development of scientific argument through the use of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH). This research is aimed at helping students learn about and use science argument to construct science knowledge. He published research in the areas of writing to learn science and argument based inquiry approaches to learning of science.
• Fujii Hiroki is an associate professor of science education in Graduate School of Education at Okayama University, Japan. He graduated from Hiroshima University and obtained a teacher qualification in chemistry in 1990. After studying at Institute for Science Education (IPN) of University of Kiel (Germany) in 1994, he held a Ph.D. in science education. His major area of work is design and development of school science (chemistry) curricula and lessons to promote student’s scientific literacy by using international comparative approach.
• Joseph Krajcik is a Professor of Science Education in the School of Education at the University of Michigan and serves as the School’s Associate Dean for Research.  He is also Co-Director of the IDEA (Instructional Development and Education Assessment) Institute at the university. He is also a co-principle investigator for the Institute for Global Science, Technology and Society Education at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.   He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1986 and joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 1990. His research involves working with science teachers and school systems to create classrooms where students are actively doing the intellectual work by finding solutions to intellectual questions. In addition to his work with the IDEA Institute, He is the principal investigator of a materials development project that aims to design, develop and test the next generation of middle school curriculum materials. He currently is co-editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching. He has authored and co-authored over 100 manuscripts and makes frequent presentations at international, national and regional conferences that focus on his research as well as presentations that translate research findings into classroom practice. His honors include the Distinguished Contributions to Science Education Through Research Award from the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST) (2010), John H. D'Arms Faculty Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring from the University of Michigan (2010), an appointment as Distinguished Professor, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea (2009); induction as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (2009).
• Gao Lingbao is a Deputy Head of the MOE Centre of Curriculum Studies in Basic Education, South China Normal University. He held a Ph.D. in Psychology/Science Education at the University of Hong Kong. His research areas are Science Education/Environmental Education, Curriculum Development/Evaluation, and Classroom Learning/Teaching. He is member of the National Commission of Experts on Curriculum and Teaching Materials in Basic Education, 2010-2013, and chairman of the Physics Teachers’ Association, Guangdong Province, P.R. China. He has authored and co-authored over 180 papers, book chapters and books have been published since 1981. He His books include How to Assess Senior Secondary Students’ Achievement under the New National Curriculum (in Chinese)；Beijing: Higher Education Press，2005; Astudy of Chinese teachers’ conceptions of teaching (in English); Wuhan: Hubei Education Press, 2004.
• Chia-Ju Liu is currently the chairperson of Graduate Institute of Science Education, the director of Science Education Center and the director of Neurocognition Laboratory at National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan. Her research interests are conceptions change and learning processes, scientific thinking, cognitive psychology in science education, experimental research design in cognitive psychology, and neuropsychology and science learning. Currently, her research group is investigating multiple representations in science education, and visual and spatial Modes in science education by ERPs and eye tracking techniques. This group also cooperates with Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital to explore the early diagnosis of some brain dysfunctions.
• Michael R. Matthews is an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales. He has degrees in Geology, Psychology, Philosophy, History and Philosophy of Science, and Education. He has taught in high school, Teacher’s College and universities, and was Foundation Professor of Science Education at the University of Auckland. His books include Science Teaching: The Role of History and Philosophy of Science (Routledge 1994); Time for Science Education: How Teaching the History and Philosophy of Pendulum Motion can Improve Science Literacy (Plenum Publishers 2000). His edited books include Constructivism in Science Education: A Philosophical Examination (Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998); Science Education and Culture (Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001); The Pendulum: Scientific, Historical, Philosophical and Educational Perspectives (Springer 2005) and Science, Worldviews and Education (Springer2009). He is Foundation Editor of the journal Science & Education; he has published scores of articles in science education, philosophy of education and the history and philosophy of science journals; he has contributed to major Education encyclopedias and handbooks. He is President of the Teaching Commission of the Division of History of Science and Technology of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. He was Foundation President of the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group.
• Jongwon Park is a professor of physics education department in Chonnam National University, Korea, a past-chief editor of the ‘Journal of The Korean Association in Science Education’, and a direct of the ‘Center for the Gifted in Science’ in his university. His major research concerns are to understand and to model students’ mental processes when they perform scientific research and construct scientific concepts, such as, mental model of scientific observation, thinking strategies for finding research problems, similarity-based reasoning model for generating scientific hypothesis, interpretation of students’ hypothesis testing based on philosophy of science. His research results can be found in international journals including IJSE, RISE and JRST. And also, for teaching creativity in science classroom, he recently suggested a 3-dimensional model of scientific creativity and developed concrete teaching materials for improving students’ scientific creativity.
• David Treagust is Professor of Science Education at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia where he teaches courses in campus-based and international programs related to teaching and learning science. His research interests include understanding students’ ideas about science concepts and how these ideas relate to conceptual change, the design of curricula and teachers’ classroom practices. Particularly, he is interested in identification, design and implementation of intervention strategies to challenge students’ conceptions; design of tests and other assessment instruments to diagnose student understanding of content in specific science areas; students’ use of analogies and models as an aid to their understanding of science concepts. He is a member of the Australian National Advisory Committee for Program for International Student Assessment, a Past-President of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (1999-2001), and Past-Managing Director of the Australasian Science Education Research Association (2003-2010).
• Shinho Jang is an associate professor of Science Education in Seoul National University of Education, Korea. His current research involves understanding science teachers’ teaching practice and knowledge, and providing students with various inquiry programs through informal outreach learning context.