Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 3

Supporting students with a creative twist: A conversation with Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year, Shad Lacefield

In this episode, Eric sits down with the Kentucky Science Teacher of the Year, Shad Lacefield. Shad talks about what it’s like to be teaching during the first year of the pandemic, where he dressed up in over 100 costumes to create a unique and engaging online learning experience for his students. Shad also explains ways he connects with his students to celebrate their successes, as well as large-scale efforts he leads within his school to cultivate the love of learning science content.

Portrait of a smiling Juan Vivas with glasses, wearing a dark suit and tie, framed within a circle with a patterned border featuring rockets and stars.

Meet Our Guest(s):

Shad Lacefield

Shad Lacefield

Shad Lacefield is a teacher at Garden Springs Elementary and part-time professor at Asbury University in Kentucky. Mr. Lacefield leads professional development in his district, and has been a guest speaker for Eastern Kentucky University, Campbellsville University, and Amplify Education. His topics include classroom managment, integrating techology, and student engagement. He earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Campbellsville University in 2007, and his master’s in science from Southwest Baptist University in 2011. Shad has either taught or coached every grade K-12, and in his 14 years in education he has served as a lead teacher in literacy, math, science, and social studies. He currently coordiantes with the FCPS Office of Instructional Technology to plan Minecraft build challenges for elementary students, and is working on setting up a science field trip that turns a golf course into a STEM lab. During the first year of the pandemic, Shad dressed up in over 100 costumes to create a unique and engaging online learning experience for his students. He also created Vader Visits where he visited students at their homes dressed as Darth Vader to celebrate their online successes, and keep them encouraged during a challenging time. His creative teaching style, and over 50 “Vader Visits” with students, have been featured on WKYT-TV, LEX-18, Spectrum 1 News, and several local and college news publications. Shad lives in Lexington Kentucky with his wife Whitney Lacefield and their three children.

Check out his website, YouTube channel, and Facebook account!

Meet our host: Eric Cross

Eric Cross is a seventh grade science/technology teacher, grade level lead, and digital learning innovator for Albert Einstein Academies, International Baccalaureate schools. He is also an adjunct professor of learning and technology at the University of San Diego and a Google certified innovator. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Education from the University of San Diego. He had 17 years of experience working with at-risk youth and underserved populations before becoming a middle school teacher. By building relationships with students, colleagues, and the community, he has become an empowered leader in and out of the classroom. Through meaningful learning experiences centered around student agency, STEM has become accessible to students through highly engaging lesson design, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and pedagogy that engages students from all backgrounds.

Transcripts and additional resources:

Join the conversation in the Science Connections Facebook community
Transcript

Quotes

It’s about being engaged with your students and figuring out what are they liking. Every year it’s going to be different…when you have conversations and you build relationships with your kids.

– Shad Lacefield

Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 2

Overcoming adversity in the science classroom: A conversation with Joe McCormick

In this episode, Eric sits down with Joe McCormick, director of engineering at SplitSpot. Joe shares about the experience of losing his central vision in high school and the transition into college at Harvard. Eric and Joe chat about self-advocacy within the classroom, and scaffolds that worked for Joe as he learned how to navigate the world with his disability. Eric also learns about beep baseball, the adapted national pastime for the blind and visually impaired, and the importance of its community in Joe’s journey to become an engineer. Lastly, Joe talks about accessibility tools, college acceptance, and how to motivate students to love computer science.

A smiling man with short hair against a patterned background of colorful shapes, symbolizing overcoming adversity, framed within a white circle.

Meet Our Guest(s):

Joe McCormick

Joe McCormick

Joe McCormick is the Director of Engineering at SplitSpot. In his senior year of high school, Joe started to lose his vision due to a rare genetic condition, Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Rather than letting that stop him, Joe went on to study Computer Science at Harvard University, advocating for the support he needed. Joe is heavily involved in beep baseball, an adapted national pastime for the blind and visually impaired. He currently plays for the Boston Renegades in his spare time. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and son.

Meet our host: Eric Cross

Eric Cross is a seventh grade science/technology teacher, grade level lead, and digital learning innovator for Albert Einstein Academies, International Baccalaureate schools. He is also an adjunct professor of learning and technology at the University of San Diego and a Google certified innovator. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Education from the University of San Diego. He had 17 years of experience working with at-risk youth and underserved populations before becoming a middle school teacher. By building relationships with students, colleagues, and the community, he has become an empowered leader in and out of the classroom. Through meaningful learning experiences centered around student agency, STEM has become accessible to students through highly engaging lesson design, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and pedagogy that engages students from all backgrounds.

Transcripts and additional resources:

Join the conversation in the Science Connections Facebook community
Transcript

Quotes

Being disabled, it’s like trying to find someway to be flexible and find some workaround, because there’s always some way to get there, it’s just going to be a little bit different and little out of the box.

– Joe McCormick

Winter Wrap-Up, Episode 1

Community and joy within K–8 science instruction: Desiré Whitmore

In this episode, we join Eric Cross as he sits down with physicist and science education specialist Desiré Whitmore. Listen in as Desiré explains her work at the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory. Eric and Desiré discuss finding passion in science, the importance of meeting students where they’re at, and K–8 science instruction with real-life connections. Desiré chats with Eric about her work supporting the science of teaching science at the Exploratorium museum.

 

Young woman with curly hair smiling at the camera, framed in a decorative circle with colorful symbols, designed by Juan Vivas of SpaceX.

Meet Our Guest(s):

Desiré Whitmore

Desiré Whitmore

A Southern California native, Desiré earned an associate of science from Antelope Valley College, a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from UCLA, and a master of science and Ph.D. in chemical and material physics from UC Irvine. Her research focused on developing very fast laser and microscope systems that could capture molecules vibrating and rotating in real time. She was a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, where she designed and built attosecond lasers (the fastest laser pulses, which emit x-ray light, ever measured). At the Lawrence Hall of Science she wrote an all-digital K–8 science curriculum (Amplify Science), which aligned to the NGSS, with the Learning Design Group (LDG). Desiré left LDG to teach hands-on laser technology and physics courses at Irvine Valley College before joining the TI staff. She is the proud mom of Stella, a four-year-old boxer-pit mix. In her spare time, Desiré is restoring her 1967 VW bug.

Meet our host: Eric Cross

Eric Cross is a seventh grade science/technology teacher, grade level lead, and digital learning innovator for Albert Einstein Academies, International Baccalaureate schools. He is also an adjunct professor of learning and technology at the University of San Diego and a Google certified innovator. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University and a Master of Education from the University of San Diego. He had 17 years of experience working with at-risk youth and underserved populations before becoming a middle school teacher. By building relationships with students, colleagues, and the community, he has become an empowered leader in and out of the classroom. Through meaningful learning experiences centered around student agency, STEM has become accessible to students through highly engaging lesson design, thoughtful integration of digital tools, and pedagogy that engages students from all backgrounds.

Transcripts and additional resources:

Join the conversation in the Science Connections Facebook community
Transcript

Quotes

I think it's really amazing when we can realize as teachers… our job is not just to enforce rules on our students… our job is is to help students achieve more learning.

– Desiré Whitmore