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Senior Leader, Research Scientist, Director of EdGE

Jodi  Asbell-Clarke

Reaching and Teaching Neurodivergent Learners in STEM

Jodi Asbell-Clarke, Ph.D. has recently published an innovative book titled . Grounded in decades of research and classroom practice, this groundbreaking work emphasizes the inclusion of learners who think differently. This book presents individual examples of neurodivergent journeys in STEM and connects neurodiversity to the types of innovative problem-solving skills needed in today’s workforce. Teachers, parents, and administrators will learn how to embrace the unique brilliance and potential of neurodivergent learners, working against historic marginalization and deficit-based perspectives of neurodiversity that hold some of our best learners back.Ìý

Jodi is available for media interviews to discuss her research and the themes explored in her book. Please click here to schedule an interview.Ìý

Program/Areas of Interest

  • Game-based learning
  • Neurodiversity
  • Computational Thinking
  • Assessment

Biography

Jodi’s academic background includes a MA in Math, an MSc in Astrophysics and a PhD in Education. Early in her career, Jodi dreamed of being an astronaut and went to Houston where she was an onboard software verification analyst for IBM during the first 25 missions of the space shuttle. Later Jodi taught Physics and Astrophysics to some of the brightest students in the country at the laboratory school at University of Illinois. In 1993, she came to ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ and led several science education projects at ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ involving curriculum development, professional development of teachers, and educational research. In 2009, she co-founded EdGE with her colleagues to study how game-based learning can transform science education.

Education

  • Rochester Institute of Technology: Applied Math, B.S., 1983
  • Rice University: Applied Math, M.A., 1986
  • University of New Mexico: Astrophysics, M.S., 1989
  • University of Toronto: Education, Ph.D., 2011

Associations

  • ACM
  • IMBES

Past advisory board for various organizations including:

  • National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) on Game-Based Learning
  • George Lucas Education Foundation
  • CIRCL (CICL Meeting Program Committee and Cyberlearning Report Committee)

Highlighted Publications

Asbell-Clarke, J., Rowe, E., Almeda, M., Edwards, T., Bardar, E., Gasca, S., Baker, R., & Scruggs, R. (2021). The development of students’ computational thinking practices in elementary and middle-school classes using the learning game, Zoombinis. Computers in Human Behavior, 115, 1-14.

Asbell-Clarke, J., Bardar, E., & Edwards, T. (2020). The importance of teacher bridging in game-based learning classrooms. In M. Farber (Ed.), Global perspectives on gameful and playful teaching and learning (pp. 211-239). IGI Global.

Rowe, E., Asbell-Clarke, J., Almeda, M., Bardar, E., Baker, R., & Scruggs, R., (2020). Advancing research in game-based learning assessment: Tools and methods for measuring implicit learning. In E. Kennedy & J. Qian (Eds.), Advancing educational research with emerging technology (pp. 99-123). IGI Global.