Phone: 309-677-3190
Email: finson@bradley.edu

Kevin Finson tends to be a constructivist teacher, helping students build upon their prior learning to create new learning.  He makes use of inquiry approaches whenever possible, and he’s a firm believer in concrete, hands-on activities and laboratory work.  Dr. Finson also likes to include some humor in his teaching to put students at ease and help them retain the material better and longer.

Dr. Finson’s research interests have largely focused on two areas.  The first deals with ways to modify science activities, assessments, and inquiry approaches to make them more accessible for students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders.  He has worked with teams of special education and regular education teachers to develop guidelines for these modifications and presented them in teacher handbooks.

The second area deals with students’ perceptions of scientists.   This includes not only what those perceptions are, but how they arise, how they can be affected, how resilient they are, and what the implications are in terms of students' choices in education and careers.  Much of this work uses an instrument called the Draw-A-Scientist Test Checklist, which Dr. Finson helped to develop.

Degrees & Certification
Dr. Finson earned his BS degree in earth science education from Kansas State University in 1975, and his MS degree in secondary science education from Kansas State University in 1980.  He received his doctorate in secondary science education from Kansas State University in 1985.