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Student Profile: David Grueber
My research interests focus on the effects of inquiry-based curriculum materials on student learning. I am particularly interested in the following research questions: "How do teachers enact lessons in an inquiry-based curriculum? How can inquiry-based teaching lead to higher levels of student achievement in science?"
I taught high school chemistry and physics for six years. During this time, I wanted an opportunity to reach a deeper understanding about what was happening in my classroom. I contacted the National Association for Research in Science Teaching to acquire information about science education doctoral programs. MSU science education professor Andy Anderson replied to that e-mail. After a little research and a visit to MSU, I was hooked.
For two years, I have worked with Professor Ed Smith on an elementary curriculum unit focusing on force and motion. This past year, I worked with Professor David Fortus on a 6th-grade unit designed to explore light and how we see. This unit was designed as part of a larger middle school curriculum development project. After designing the unit in the fall, the unit was enacted in three schools during the spring 2006. I have also taught science methods courses to pre-service teachers. My experience here with the pre-service teacher methods course and the curriculum development projects have prepared me to work with both pre-service and in-service teachers after I graduate from MSU.
I have appreciated the fact that the doctoral program at MSU allows graduate students and faculty from many disciplines to interact with each other. I have friends at other graduate schools and they rarely work with other students or faculty in a field other than science education. The classes I’ve taken in other fields have exposed me to many ideas and helped me look at the context of schooling from a much greater perspective.
The main attraction of East Lansing for me is that it has a thriving soccer community. I play a lot of soccer so there are many opportunities for coaching and playing. There are also a number of theater groups, bars, and other entertainment options. Lansing is in a good spot, being in the middle of the state, because Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and other locations aren’t too far away.
