2003-2005 Northwestern University, Postdoctoral Fellow (CCMS)
1998-2003 University of Houston, Ed.D. Curriculum and Instruction-Science Education
1994-1997 Texas A&M University, M.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
1987-1992 University of Missouri-Kansas City. B.S. Biology

Research Interests:
My research focuses on student learning and teaching about scientific practices in K-12 and teacher education. I am currently involved in a collaborative NSF funded project called Supporting Scientific Practices in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms with Northwestern University, Michigan State, and University of Texas at Austin. The project has two goals (a) To develop an integrated learning progression that articulates how argumentation, modeling and explanation work together and can build incrementally over time. We examine these practices across different scientific disciplines at both elementary and middle school grade bands, and (b) To conduct longitudinal studies of students’ performances and understandings in scientific practices to investigate how students can develop these performances and understandings incrementally over time.

Research Opportunities:
There are opportunities in the Practices project for graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in science education, teacher education, cognition, and/or science learning. Students will be involved in video and audiotape data collection at elementary and middle schools (4-8), interviewing students and teachers, administering pre/post exams, collecting student and teacher work products such as student sheets and educative curriculum materials, transcribing video and data analysis.

I hold a dual appointment with the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science and Mathematics and the Department of Teacher Education in the College of Education and Human Services where I teach biology and science education method courses.

Representative Publications:

Schwarz, C., Reiser, B., Acher, A., Kenyon, L., & Fortus, D. (2012). MoDeLS: Challenges in defining a learning progression for scientific modeling. In A. Alonzo & A. Gotwals (Eds.) Learning progressions in science (LeaPS): Current challenges and future directions. Sense Publishers.

Reiser, B.J., Berland, L.K, & Kenyon, L. (2012). Engaging students in the scientific practices of explanation and argumentation. Science Teacher, 74, 34-39; Science Scope, 35, 6-11; Science and Children, 49, 8-13.

Kenyon, L., Davis, E.A., & Hug, B. (2011). Design approaches to support preservice teachers in scientific modeling. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22, 1-21.

Schwarz, C. V., Reiser, B. J., Davis, E. A., Kenyon, L., Acher, A., Fortus, D., Shwartz, Y., Hug, B., & Krajcik, J. (2009). Developing a learning progression of scientific modeling: Making scientific modeling accessible and meaningful for learners. Journal of
Research in Science Teaching, 46(6), 632-654.

Kenyon, L., Schwarz, C., & Hug, B. (2008). The benefits of scientific modeling. Science and Children, 46(2), 40-44.

Kenyon, L., Kuhn, L. & Reiser, B.J. (2006) Using Students’ Epistemologies of Science to Guide the Practice of Argumentation. In S.A. Barab, K. E. Hay, & D. T. Hickey (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of the Learning Sciences, ICSL 2006. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.

Kuhn, L., Kenyon, L. & Reiser, B.J. (2006) Fostering Scientific Argumentation by Creating a Need for Students to Attend to Each Other’s Claims and Evidence. In S.A. Barab, K. E. Hay, & D. T. Hickey (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of the Learning Sciences, ICSL 2006. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.

Chiappetta, E.L., Felske, D.D, & Kenyon, L. (2003). Helping students to better understand the nature of science. The Texas Science Teacher 32(2), 17-20.

Trautmann, N.M., Carlsen, W. S, Eick, C. J., Gardner, Jr., F.E., Kenyon, L., Moscovici, H. Moore, J. C., Thomson, M., and West, S.S. (2003). Online peer review: Learning science as it’s practiced. Journal of College Science Teaching 32(7), 443-447.

Kenyon, L.O., Landry, A.M., & Gill, G. (2001). Trace metal concentrations in blood of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 4(1), 128-135.