I am interested in how advances in evolutionary theory relate to current classroom practices in evolution education. Specifically, I am exploring how conceptual relationships across human evolution, behavior, and sustainability sciences can contribute to innovations in interdisciplinary teaching across K-12 education.

• Evolution education
• School culture
• Social-Emotional Learning
• Interdisciplinary education
• Teaching for transfer of learning
• School improvement

Thesis work: 
Networked Improvement Communities for Understanding the Human Condition

Schools around the world almost universally seek to cultivate in students an understanding of the human condition that is both practically realistic for the world they are to enter, and factually realistic in accordance with modern disciplinary perspectives. Teaching the science of evolutionary anthropology offers significant learning opportunities in this regard, yet the interdisciplinary nature of the field, combined with a complex conceptual landscape across the human sciences conspire to create unique challenges in advancing educator competence and communities of practice in this space. This thesis is a knowledge synthesis and research infrastructure project, working within the model of Networked Improvement Communities to advance a flexible framework for international collaboration on the design and implementation of teaching materials and strategies for engaging students in reflecting on the everyday experience of human behavior in the light of evolution and sustainability sciences. 

I am the coordinator of the educational development, outreach, and research coordination efforts of our department. 

More here...

www.GlobalESD.org

Together with Dr. Susan Hanisch, I am a co-founder of the US-based non-profit organization, Global ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). Global ESD works internationally to support sustainability education initiatives that connect concepts in human evolution, behavioral ecology, and sustainability science. By linking scientific perspectives on social change with students and classrooms seeking to make the world a better place, our aim is to foster a more global discussion about where we are going in the light of where we all have come from. 

www.EvoLeipzig.de (in German)

EvoLeipzig is a place-based initiative working to bring the Global ESD design concept to schools and education partners in Leipzig.