JESSICA J. THOMPSON, PhD
2010 KSTF Research Fellow
Research Assistant Professor
University of Washington

Dr. Jessica Thompson’s research explores ways to support learning of ambitious and equitable science teaching practices between beginning and experienced teachers.

In her research and work with teachers, Jessica has drawn on her own experiences in the classroom.  She has a background in Biology and Chemistry and taught high school and middle school science as well as a drop-out prevention courses for eight years in North Carolina and Washington State. For the last four years she has taught secondary and elementary science teaching methods courses and Culturally Responsive Math and Science Teaching at the University of Washington. As research faculty at the University of Washington she has worked on several projects with novice and experienced teachers. She is the co-principal investigator on a research program that tracks secondary science teachers’ learning trajectories from their teacher education program through the first year of teaching (more here) and is the founder of the Puget Sound Science Teacher (PSST) Network to enhance regional capacity for the ongoing improvement of secondary science teaching and learning. For the last three years she has supported a video club for experienced science teachers to examine teaching practices and better define the next generation of ambitious, equitable science teaching practices.

With KSTF’s support, Jessica aims to “generate knowledge about how all teachers develop a specific and consequential set of practices that are central to supporting students’ learning in secondary science classrooms.”

Project Summary

In her research project, “Buffering Against Regression: Supporting Co-Learning between Teacher Candidates and Cooperating Teachers,” Jessica is studying ways to support novice science teachers in their adoption of high-leverage practices which increase student learning, while simultaneously improving the capabilities of the cooperating teachers.  She aims to develop a theory of co-learning with the goal of re-shaping teacher education programs.

Awards and Recognitions

Selma Greenberg Dissertation Award (2007); American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship (2005-2006); Teacher of the Year, Tar River Learning Center (1995-1996)

Publications

Thompson, J., Windschitl, M. & Braaten M. (under review, American Educational Research Journal). Developing a theory of ambitious teacher practice.

Windschitl, M., Thompson, J. & Braaten, M. (2011). Fostering Ambitious Pedagogy in Novice Teachers: The new role of tool-supported analyses of student work. Teachers College Record, 113(7).

Thompson, J., Braaten, M., Windschitl, M., Sjoberg, B., Jones, M., & Martinez, K. (2009). Examining Student Work: Evidence-based learning for students and teachers. The Science Teacher, 76(8), 48-52.

Windschitl, M., Thompson, J. & Braaten, M. (2008). How novice science teachers appropriate epistemic discourses around model-based inquiry for use in classrooms. Cognition and Instruction, 26(3), 310-378.

Windschitl, M., Thompson, J., & Braaten, M. (2008). Beyond the Scientific Method: Model-Based Inquiry as a New Paradigm of Preference for School Science Investigations. Science Education, 92(3).

Windschitl, M. & Thompson, J. (2006). Transcending simple school science investigations: Can pre-service instruction foster teachers’ understandings of model-based inquiry? American Educational Research Journal, 43(4), 783-835.

Thompson, J.J. & Windschitl, M. (2005). "Failing girls": Understanding connections among identity negotiation, personal relevance & engagement in science learning from underachieving girls. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 11(1), 1-26.