Dr. Edmund A. Marek

Presidential Professor

Director of the Science Education Center

Email Dr. Marek

Background Information:

BS in Education (1970), MEd in Science Education (1972), PhD in Science Education (1977), University of Oklahoma

Dr. Marek is in his 28th year as faculty member at the University of Oklahoma where he holds the rank of Full Professor and is Director of the Science Education Center.

He began his teaching career as a secondary school science teacher and, during his first eight years, taught primarily high school biology.

Following that, he was an Assistant Professor of Biology at Southwest Texas State University (SWT) in San Marcos, Texas for four years and also served as Assistant Director of the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center at SWT for three years.

Dr. Marek is the author of over ninety publications including two college textbooks on elementary school science teaching and has published two teacher's guides for middle school environmental science and two college laboratory manuals for general science.

During his tenure at the University of Oklahoma, he has been Director and Co-Director of numerous National Science Foundation-supported projects on science curricula development and science inservice education totaling over $3M.

Dr. Marek also directed many summer programs in energy education and science education funded by grants from the Department of Energy and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, respectively.

His primary teaching responsibilities are with graduate and undergraduate courses in science education offered to preservice and inservice teachers.

Dr. Marek is active in the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Association of Science Teacher Educators, National Science Teachers Association, and the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association.

Dr. Marek received several awards for teaching and research, and in 1993 was awarded OU's Henry Rinsland Award for Excellence in Educational Research and in 2005 the College of Education's research/scholarship award. He was inducted into the College of Education's first class of their Hall of Fame as part of the diamond anniversary induction of "75 Who Made a Difference".

In 2005 Dr. Marek received the University's highest award, a Presidential Professorship, the Linda Clarke Anderson Presidential Professorship. 

In 2006, Dr. Marek was invited to participate in the Oxford Round Table, Science and Faith: The Great Matter, Oxford, England, July 23-28, 2006.

In 2007-2008, Dr. Marek was honored with Oklahoma Science Teachers Association highest award. He received the Dr. John W. "Jack" Renner for Distinguished Service.

Courses Offered:

Undergraduate

• EDSC 4093 - Inquiry Based Science Teaching
• EDSC 4193 - Teaching Science in the Elementary Schools
• EDSC 4513 - Teaching Science in the Secondary Schools
• EDSC 4960 - Project Wet, Wild, Learning Tree
• EDUC 4060 - Supervision of Student Teachers

Graduate

• EDSC 5513 - Teaching Science in the Secondary Schools
• EDSC 5514 - Research and Development of Science Curricula
• EDSC 5523 - The Science of Learning Theories
• EDSC 5960 - Project Wet, Wild, Learning Tree
• EDSC 5940 - Proposal Development
• EDSC 6532 - Paradigms for Scientific Investigations

Career Awards and Noteworthy Grants :

Career Awards

1974-1976 National Association of Biology Teachers, Outstanding Biology Teacher Award finalist for Oklahoma

1975-1977 Outstanding Teacher Award, Norman Public Schools

1985-1986 Associate Distinguished Lectureship

1986-1987 Associate Distinguished Lectureship

1987-1988 Associate Distinguished Lectureship

1988-1989 Associate Distinguished Lectureship

1991 Oklahoma Science Teacher's Association, Outstanding Contributions to Science Education Award

1993 Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award for Excellence in Educational Research

1993-1994 OSTA Special Recognition for Ten Years of Editorship of the OSTA Newsletter

2005 "75 Who Made a Difference", Diamond Anniversary awardee for the University of Oklahoma College of Education

2005 Research/Scholarship Award, University of Oklahoma College of Education

2005 Linda Clarke Anderson Presidential Professorship

2007-2008 Oklahoma Science Teachers' Association's highest award, Jack Renner Distinguished Service Award.

Noteworthy Grants

1992-1997 Department of Energy, "Energy, Environment, and Policy Choices: Summer Institutes for Science and Social Studies Educators", Co-PI and Project Director, $945,299.

1998-2001 National Science Foundation, "Linking Undergraduate Geoscience Research Programs and Teacher Education Programs", $149,998.

1999-2000 National Science Foundation, "Adventure Engineering: A Creativity-Based, Design-Centered Approach to Secondary Schools & Introductory Level Undergraduate Education", Co-PI, $75,134.

2000-2001 NOVA/NASA, "Developing an Earth System Science Curriculum for Preservice Teachers", Co-PI, $25,692.

2001-2004 National Science Foundation, "GK-12 Adventure Engineering: An Inquiry Learning, Design Driven Approach to Middle Schools Science and Mathematics Education", Co-PI, $1,120,000.

2005-2006 MSP Grant "Infusing Inquiry into Elementary School Science (I²ES²)", Co-Pl, $205,387.

2005-2008 National Science Foundation Grant, "Biotechnolgoy/Bioinformatics Teacher Discovery!", CoPI, $299,255

2007-2008 MS P Grant I²ES² II, with Norman, Putnam City, Noble and Little Axe Public School, Co-PI $267,000.

Selected Publications, Books:

Marek, E.A. and M. Lewis. 1982. Laboratory Investigations for General Science - Part II. American Press: Boston, MA.

Marek, E.A. and M. Lewis. 1983. Laboratory Investigations for General Science - Part I. American Press: Boston, MA.

Renner, J.W. and E.A Marek. 1988. The Learning Cycle and Elementary School Science Teaching. Heinemann Educational, Inc.: Portsmouth, NH.

Marek, E.A. and A.M.L. Cavallo. 1997. The Learning Cycle: Elementary School Science and Beyond. Heinemann Educational, Inc.: Portsmouth, NH.

Selected Publications, Articles:

Renner, J.W. and E.A. Marek. 1990. An educational theory base for science teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 27(3):241-246.

Marek, E.A., C. Eubanks and T. Gallaher. 1990. Teachers' understanding and the use of the learning cycle. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 27(9):821-834.

Marek, E.A. and S.B. Methven. 1991. Effects of the learning cycle upon student and classroom teacher performance. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 28(1):41-53.

Marek, E.A. and R.J. Bryant. 1991. On research: Your teaching methods may influence your students' understanding of common science concepts. Science Scope. 14(4):44-45, 60.

Westbrook, S.L. and E.A. Marek. 1991. A cross-age study of student understanding of the concept of diffusion. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 28(8):649-660.

Westbrook, S.L. and E.A. Marek. 1992. A cross-age study of student understanding of the concept of homeostasis. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 29(1):51-61.

Abraham M.R., E.B. Grzybowski, J.W. Renner and E.A. Marek. 1992. Understandings and misunderstanding of eighth graders of five chemistry concepts found in textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 29(2):105-120.

Marek, E.A. and W. Rowe. 1993. Improving science teaching in the United States. The Skeptical Inquirer. 17(2):175-179.

Marek, E.A. and J.J. Chiodo. 1994. Energy, environment and policy choices: A summer institute for science and social studies educators. The Science Teacher. 61(6):42-45.

Marek, E.A., C.C. Cowan and A.M.L. Cavallo. 1994. Students' misconceptions about diffusion: How can they be eliminated? American Biology Teacher. 56(2):74-77.

Marek, E.A., C. Haack and L. McWhirter. 1994. Long-term use of learning cycles following inservice institutes. Journal of Science Teacher Education. 5(2):48-55.

Marek, E. A. and A.M.L. Cavallo. 1995. Passkeys to learning science in the elementary schools: The data and language of science. Journal of Elementary Science Education. 7(1):1-15.

Cavallo, A.M., B. Gerber, E.A. Marek and J. Chiodo. 1998. Research of teachers' attitudes and understandings of interrelationships among energy, environment and public policy. Education. 119(1):67-77.

Marek, E.A., D.M. Askey and M.R. Abraham. 2000. Student absences during learning cycle phases: A technological alternative for make-up work in laboratory based high school chemistry. International Journal of Science Education. 22(10):1055-1068.

Gerber, B.L., E.A. Marek and A.M. Cavallo. 2001. Development of an informal learning opportunities assay. International Journal of Science Education. 23(6):569-583.

Gerber, B.L., A.M. Cavallo and E.A. Marek. 2001. Relationships among informal learning environments, teaching procedures and scientific reasoning ability. International Journal of Science Education. 23(5):535-549.

Marek, E.A., R.D. Boram, T. Laubach, and B.L. Gerber. 2002. Conceptual understandings resulting from interactive science exhibits. Journal of Elementary Science Education. 12(2):39-51.

Cavallo, A.M., J.C. McNeely and E.A. Marek. 2003. Eliciting students' understandings of chemical reactions using two forms of open-ended questions during a learning cycle. International Journal of Science Education 25:583-603.

Marek, E.A., T.A. Laubach, and J. Pedersen. 2003. Preservice elementary school teachers' understandings of theory based science education. Journal of Science Teacher Education. 14(3):287-313.

Marek, E.A. and J. Patterson. 2004. Using a laser learning cycle to help students see the light. Electronic Journal of Science Education. Vol. 7, No. 2.

Maier, S.J. and E.A. Marek. 2006. The learning cycle: A re-introduction. The Physics Teacher. 44(2):109-113

Marek, E.A. & Howell, B. 2006. Game Time! Introducing predator-prey relationships with classic playground games. Science and Children, 44(3):48-50.

Marek, E.A. & T. Laubach. 2007. Bridging the gap between theory and practice: A success story from science education, chapter in Bridging Theory and Practice in Teacher Education [Eds., M. Gordon and T.V. O'Brien], Sense Publishers: Netherlands.

McCann, F., Marek, E.A., Pedersen, J. and C. Falsarella. 2007. Bringing life science to life at an after school "tradeshow". Science and Children. 45(4):26-29.

Marek, E.A., S.J. Maier and F. McCann. 2008. Assessing understanding of the learning cycle: The ULC. Journal of Science Teacher Education. 19(4):375-389.

Marek, E.A. 2008. Why the learning cycle? Journal of Elementary Science Education. 20(3):63-69.

Marek, E.A., M. Carrington, D.P. Everson, A. Johnson and L.M. Mescolotto. 2008. Why we shouldn't 'teach the controversy' in science. Forum on Public Policy. Oxford, England.

Marek, E.A. Genesis and evolution of the learning cycle, Chapter 8 in World of Science Education: North America [Eds., K. Tobin and W. Roth] Sense Publishers: Netherlands.