Philip Bell
Shauna C. Larson Chair in Learning Sciences
Research Areas
- STEM Teaching & Learning
- Equity in Science Education
- Educational Improvement
Scholar Snapshot
Professor Bell pursues a cognitive and cultural program of research across diverse environments focused on how people learn in ways that are personally consequential to them. He has studied everyday expertise and cognition in science and health, the design and use of novel learning
technologies in science classrooms, youth argumentation, culturally expansive science instruction and scaled implementation of educational improvement.
He is executive director of the UW Institute for Science & Math Education (ISME), which advances equity-focused innovation in K-12 STEM education, and co-director of the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Science of Learning Center. Professor Bell served as a member of the Board on Science Education with the National Academy of Sciences for eight years, co-chaired the National Research Council consensus report effort on Learning Science in Informal Environments and served on the committee of the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education that was used to guide development of Next Generation Science Standards.
Professor Bell is currently editing a series of research- and practice-based tools for equity-focused improvements in science education called STEM Teaching Tools. Through ISME, he also is helping lead Washington ClimeTime initiative, a state-wide initiative to support PK-12 educators in teaching about climate science.
In Depth
Hear Professor Bell share his work to make the exploration of science a joyful experience in his EduTalk “Playful Learning Matters.”
Contact
206-221-6373