Tina Grotzer

Principal Research Scientist in Education

Profile

Tina Grotzer is a senior researcher at Project Zero and faculty member at HGSE. She is a cognitive and learning scientist who studies learning in formal and informal contexts; much of this work focuses on science education. She teaches courses in cognition and learning, and its applications to learner behaviors, pedagogy, instructional design, and school design. This work considers what it means to be an expert learner and how to leverage research towards supporting students in developing adaptive expertise to help them learn how to learn about and navigate challenges of the future. She is collaborating with educators to develop a related pedagogical approach called, “Living Curriculum.” She received the 2013 Morningstar Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was awarded a Career Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from the Obama White House for her research which identifies how assumptions about the nature of causality impact our ability to deal with complexity in our world. In addition to many research articles, her books include, Learning Causality in a Complex World, the Causal Patterns in Science Curriculum series, and chapters focused on developing deep understanding, issues of pedagogy and teaching to the Next Generation Science Standards. With colleague, Chris Dede, she developed the EcoLEARN curriculum that leverages new technologies to teach complex ecosystems science concepts. She has advised early childhood, science, and sustainability-oriented television programs for PBS, Disney, and ABC and works with schools nationally and internationally. Prior to coming to Harvard, Grotzer was a district-wide administrator and teacher in public and private schools for over a decade. She holds a doctorate and masters from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from Vassar College.

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