I call myself an “engineer-turned-educator-with-a-research-habit”. In general, I study, co-design, and implement learning environments that promote student engagement in science and engineering, particularly with young adolescents, in ways that forge dynamic solidarities between minoritized and majoritized communities. I have been doing this work for 19-plus years now: 10-plus years as a classroom teacher during the school day, and nine years with clubs, camps, and research groups.

Most recently, my work has manifested in dialectical models of student engagement (including what Kelly Ramdath and I frame as microcultural engagement), embedding computation in science and engineering learning environments, and near-peer models of teaching and mentoring.

Jobs-wise, I am a (natural-)Science Teacher in grade six with (John F.) Kennedy Middle School (KMS) in Waltham (MA) Public Schools. I also hold a Visiting Researcher position with the University at Buffalo, SUNY (UB).

Prior to joining KMS, I worked as an assistant professor in the Learning Sciences, with the Graduate School of Education at UB. Before that, I completed my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Boston College, while also working as After-school STEM Coordinator with Kennedy and McDevitt middle schools in Waltham (MA) Public Schools, alongside supervising four student-teachers through the Teacher Education Program at Brandeis University. The PhD followed a Bachelor’s in chemical engineering and Master’s degrees in both teaching and administration (M.A.T. and M.Ed.).

I can be reached via email at davidjackson <at> alum [dot] mit [dot] edu. You can find writings by my colleagues and me on the “Publications” page on this site, or by connecting with me on these external sites:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2285-7545

ResearchGate | LinkedIn | Google Scholar | Academia.edu

Best regards,

–Dave / Mr. David W. Jackson, Ph.D.