Idealized Science

In this episode of the Idealized Science podcast, hosts Jacob Beckey and Dr. Brian Wargo engage with Robyn Arianrhod, a science writer with a PhD in mathematics. They discuss her journey into science writing, the influence of nature on scientific understanding, and the importance of historical context in mathematics. The conversation highlights the beauty and challenges of mathematics, the role of...

In this episode of the Idealized Science Institute's podcast, host Brian Wargo and co-host Jacob Beckey engage with renowned science writer Timothy Ferris. They explore Ferris's journey from editor to writer, his experiences in science journalism, and the importance of history and philosophy in understanding science. Ferris shares insights on his notable works, including 'The Whole Shebang' and 'T...

In this episode, Brian Wargo and Jacob Beckey engage with Dr. Philip Kitcher, discussing the intersection of philosophy and science education. They explore the importance of curiosity, the role of reading in the classroom, and the need for dialogue in understanding scientific concepts. Kitcher shares insights on the evolution of his views on science and creationism, the significance of kindness in...

The Idealized Science Podcast -- Season 2 Ep. 02 -- Infinite Powers with Prof. Steven Strogatz In this episode of the Idealized Science Podcast, hosts Jacob Beckey and Dr. Brian Wargo engage with Professor Steven Strogatz to explore the themes of calculus, teaching, and the importance of history in mathematics. Strogatz shares insights from his book 'Infinite Powers,' discussing the beauty of calc...

The Idealized Science Podcast -- Season 2 Ep. 01 -- Einstein's War with Prof. Matthew Stanley In this first episode of the second season of the Idealized Science podcast, hosts Jacob Beckey and Brian Wargo engage with Professor Matt Stanley, author of 'Einstein's War.' The conversation explores the intersection of science, history, and philosophy, emphasizing the importance of integrating these el...

In the eighth episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey chats with Dr. Wargo about a 2013 article entitled “Inquiry-Based Instruction and Teaching About Nature of Science: Are They Happening?” by Capps and Crawford. They define inquiry, nature of science, and discuss their similarities and crucial differences before discussing a study that aimed to assess to what extent teachers are rea...

In the seventh installment of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey and Dr. Wargo discuss "Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools," a report published by the National Research Council in 2002. Despite being published over two decades ago, this report remains a relevant and accessible read for all high school STEM teachers.

In this episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Wargo and Dr. Beckey discuss the age old question of depth versus breadth in education. In particular, they review the 2008 article entitled "Depth Versus Breadth: How Content Coverage in High School Science Courses Relates to Later Success in College Science Coursework" by Schwartz et al. and give recommendations to educators on how to utilize...

In the fifth episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey and Dr. Wargo discuss the vital role argumentation plays in a well-rounded science education. They focus on a paper entitled "Establishing the norms of scientific argumentation in classrooms" by Driver, Newton, and Osborne published in the 2000, but still highly relevant today.

In the fourth episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey and Dr. Wargo discuss peer instruction -- a simple pedagogical technique that promotes classroom engagement and has been shown to lead to increased learning gains across scientific disciplines. We discuss implementing the technique, the paper entitled Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions by...

In the third episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey chats with Dr. Wargo and 6th grade science educator Jeanine Ging about engaging students from 6th to 12th grade in long-term science projects culminating in presentations at an authentic science conference at the high school level. “Long-terms” and authentic science conferences epitomize the Idealized Science framework. For more inf...

In the second episode of the Idealized Science podcast, Dr. Beckey and Dr. Wargo introduce and contextualize the Idealized Science framework. Idealized Science enables teachers to engage their students in the most recent science education standards that have resulted over decades of educational research. For more information, additional educational resources, and to support our mission, please vis...

In the first episode of the Idealized Science Podcast, we discuss a Physics Today article from 2017 entitled The Past and Future of Physics Education Reform (Otero and Meltzer, Physics Today 70 (5), 50–56 (2017)). For more information about the Idealized Science Institute, please visit us at our website .