MSED Chair Norman Lederman Appointed Distinguished Professor
Norman Lederman, chair and professor of the Mathematics and Science Education Department, has been awarded the title of distinguished professor for exceptional achievement in his field, Provost Alan Cramb recently announced. The title of distinguished professor is the highest award for faculty members at IIT, awarded to full-time professors who have achieved preeminence in their fields of expertise, based on their scholarly work and the excellence of their teaching.
Lederman joined IIT in 2001 as the first chair of the newly founded Mathematics and Science Education Department. Since then, MSED has become a force locally, nationally, and internationally for discipline-based mathematics and science education, with an emphasis on how scientific inquiry can improve science teaching and learning.
Lederman's work has launched IIT to national prominence in the field of math and science education and has made the university a favored partner with schools in Chicago and with entities such as the Museum of Science and Industry. These partnerships have been underwritten with significant support from sources such as the Gates Foundation. In 2008, he and Judith Lederman, director of teacher education at MSED, partnered with the Bronzeville charter school Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy to develop a strong curriculum focused on technology and engineering skills, along with a four-year Chinese language program. MSED also works in its continuing partnership with the Chicago Public Schools' High School Transformation (HST) Project, helping 23 of 38 eligible schools to successfully teach biology, chemistry and physics.
Lederman is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Education Research Association (AERA), and his work has been recognized with an honorary doctorate from the University of Stockholm and frequent invitations to speak at international meetings and to consult with educators in other countries. He has recently been honored with the 2011 National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award for his outstanding and continuing contributions, notable leadership, and substantial impact in the area of science education.
Lederman has studied pre-service and in-service teachers' knowledge structures of subject matter and pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers' concerns and beliefs. The author or editor of 10 books, including an elementary science teaching methods textbook, Lederman is the editor of the Handbook for Research on Science Education. He has written 15 book chapters and published more than 200 articles in professional refereed journals. In addition, Lederman has given more than 500 presentations at professional conferences and meetings around the world.
Reprinted from IIT Today March 14, 2011 
posted: