My career has focused on secondary science education, but I work towards creating educational settings that support the growth and success of all students. I began this work as a classroom teacher and I continue this work now working with pre-service and in-service teachers. I am a lifelong Rhode Islander with deep roots in my Portuguese heritage. In 1993, I received a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Biology from Brown University and explored a career in cancer research. Because of my passion for both science and working with adolescents, I pursued my Master of Science in Teaching degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. Towards the end of my 17-year career as a secondary science teacher, I earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Science Education from Boston College. Prior to my current position at Brown, I was an Assistant Professor of Education specializing in STEM education at the University of New Hampshire. As the Director of the Brown Master of Arts in Teaching program, my goal has been to develop a program that prepares our graduate students to meet the multifaceted responsibilities of the teaching profession in a way that positively impacts their students and communities. Specifically in science education, my main interests focus on supporting the participation and persistence of underrepresented students in STEM. I accomplish this by serving as a faculty member in teacher preparation, creating professional development opportunities for science teachers that support the implementation of reform-based and culturally responsive teaching approaches, and with my scholarly contributions to the field.
Reagan, E. M., Coppens, A. D., Couse, L. J., Hambacher, E., Lord, D., McCurdy, K., & Pimentel, D. S.
"Toward a conceptual framework for designing and implementing the teacher residency for rural education." Innovation and Implementation in Rural Places: School-University-Community Collaboration in Education, edited by M. Reardon & J. Leonard, 2018, pp. 81-106.
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Pimentel, D. S. "Female undergraduate engineering students’ perspectives on laboratory experiences: The complexity of social, role, and self-identities." vol. 23, no. 4, 2017, pp. 303-321. |
Pimentel, D. S. & McNeill, K. L. "Secondary science students’ beliefs about class discussions: A case study comparing and contrasting academic tracks." International Journal of Science Education, vol. 38, no. 1, 2016, pp. 2047-2068. |
Pimentel, D. S., & McNeill, K. L. "Conducting talk in science classrooms: Investigating instructional moves and teacher beliefs." Science Education, vol. 97, 2013, pp. 367-394. |
McNeill, K. L., Pimentel, D. S., & Strauss, E. "The impact of high school teachers’ beliefs, curricular enactments and experience on learning during an inquiry-based urban ecology curriculum." International Journal of Science Education, vol. 35, no. 15, 2013, pp. 2608 - 2644. |
Price, J. F., Pimentel, D. S., McNeill, K., Barnett, M., & Strauss, E.
"Science in the 21st century: More than just the facts." The Science Teacher, vol. 78, no. 7, 2011, pp. 36-41.
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McNeill, K. L., & Pimentel, D. S. "Scientific discourse in the urban classrooms: The role of the teacher in engaging high school students in argumentation." Science Education, vol. 94, 2010, pp. 203-229. |
Scholarly agenda focuses on two related areas:
1) investigating experiences that support and hinder the participation and persistence of underrepresented students in STEM at all levels of education.
2) creating teacher preparation and professional development opportunities for future and present science teachers that support the implementation of reform-based approaches during instruction.
Evaluator. United States Regional GLOBE Science Fairs. $338,810. National Science Foundation. July 2015 – June 2016. This project established regional science fairs throughout the United States focusing on the use of Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) data. The conference included online professional development for teachers specifically targeting science practices. Principal Investigator: Jennifer Bourgeault, University of New Hampshire.
Principal Investigator. Integrating Technology and Mathematics Instruction in PreK-2. $25,000 Community Grant, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. January 2016 – December 2016. The project will employ online learning and discussion in conjunction with face-to-face peer collaboration and facilitator coaching to explore best practices in development and learning as well as research-based mathematics instruction. The project provided professional development opportunities in geographic areas of the state that are currently underserved. Other Co-Principal Investigator: Brandie Bolduc, Department of Education, UNH.
Co-Principal Investigator. Teacher-Engineer Summer Scholar Academy. $10,000 Engagement STEM Partnership University of New Hampshire Vice Provost Office. May 2015 – June 2016 This project focuses on creating and supporting partnerships between middle school science teachers and professional engineers to encourage the implementation of more engineering instruction in middle school classes. Other Co-Principal Investigators: Dr. Erin Bell, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, UNH and Dr. Mihaela Sabin, STEM Discovery Lab Director, UNH-Manchester.
Conference Paper and Presentations
Pimentel, D. S. (March, 2018). Early Childhood and Elementary Education Teacher Preparation in Science: Variations in Content and Methods. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Atlanta, GA.
Pimentel, D. S. (2017). Creating successful middle school teacher-professional engineering partnerships to support NGSS. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, San Antonio, TX.
Pimentel, D. S. (2017). Middle school teachers’ experiences with engineering projects: Supporting English language learners and at-risk students in STEM. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, San Antonio, TX.
Pimentel, D. S., Partinoudi, V, & Koper, M. (2017). Middle school students’ conceptions of engineering: Setting a baseline to measure NGSS impact. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New England Educational Research Organization, Portsmouth, NH.
Pimentel. D. S. (April 2016). Elementary Pre-Service Teachers’ Preparedness for Next Generation Science Standards. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MD.
Pimentel, D. S. (April 2016). Female Undergraduate Engineering Major Experiences and Perspectives: Going Beyond Getting Them In. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
Pimentel, D. S. (April, 2015). Secondary science students’ framing of class discussions: Perspectives from different tracks. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Pimentel, D. S. (April, 2013). Approaches to whole-class discussions in high school science: A Case Study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New England Educational Research Organization, Portsmouth, NH.
Pimentel, D. S., & McNeill, K. L. (March, 2012). Secondary science teachers’ beliefs about talk during whole-class discussions. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Indianapolis, IN.
McNeill, K. L., & Pimentel, D. S. (June, 2010). The effects of teachers’ beliefs and curricular enactments on student learning in high school science. Poster presented at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Chicago, IL.
Pimentel, D. S., & McNeill, K. L. (March, 2010). Discourse in science classrooms: The relationship between teacher perceptions and their practice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Philadelphia, PA.
Pimentel D. S., & McNeill, K. L. (May, 2009). Teacher discourse associated with curriculum designed to solicit student science talk. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New England Education Research Organization, Portsmouth, NH.
McNeill, K. L., & Pimentel, D. S. (April, 2009). Scientific discourse in three urban classrooms: The role of the teacher in engaging high school students in argumentation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
McNeill, K. L., & Pimentel, D. S. (April, 2008). High school students’ use of evidence in argumentation talk in an urban ecology unit. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MD.
McEachern, K. P., Pimentel, D. S., Power, C., Pizzo, L, Price, J., & Welch, M. J. (April, 2008). Policing and producing the field: The role of the literature in research. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the New England Education Research Organization, Hyannis, MA.
Year | Degree | Institution |
---|---|---|
2012 | PhD | Boston College |
1995 | MS | Boston College |
1993 | BSc | Brown University |
Jhumaki Basu Scholar Award: NARST Equity and Ethics Committee (2016)
The (Mary) Kim Fries Memorial Award - Lynch School of Education, Boston College (2013)
Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (Rhode Island - 2007)
National Association for Research in Science Teaching, since 2007
American Educational Research Association, since 2007
National Science Teacher Association, since 2009
Rhode Island Science Teacher Association, since 2009
New Hampshire Science Teacher Association, since 2014
New England Educational Research Association, since 2015
National Board Certification - Science/Adolescence and Young Adult (Specialization: Biology) | National Board | 2006-2016 | |
Secondary Biological Science/Secondary General Science | Rhode Island Department of Education | -2018 |
EDUC 0900 - Fieldwork and Seminar in Secondary Education |
EDUC 1070C - Student Teaching: Science |
EDUC 1080C - Analysis of Teaching: Science |
EDUC 1675 - The Psychology of Teaching and Learning |
EDUC 1900 - Senior Seminar |
EDUC 2060C - Methods of Teaching: Science |
EDUC 2070C - Student Teaching: Science |
EDUC 2080C - Analysis of Teaching: Science |
EDUC 2090 - Literacy Across the Curriculum |
EDUC 2140 - Methods and Materials of Math, Science, and Technology |
EDUC 2500 - Foundations of Teaching and Learning |
EDUC 2510C - Educational Theory and Practice 1: Science |
EDUC 2515 - Learning Theory and Special Populations |
EDUC 2520C - Educational Theory and Practice for Science II |
EDUC 2530C - Educational Theory and Practice in Teaching Science III |
EDUC 2565 - Practicum and Seminar I |
EDUC 2575 - Student Teaching and Seminar |