Jesse Mechanick, Secondary Science Education

Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 6 - Issue 4 - June 2023

Jesse Mechanick is an Adjunct Professor in the Secondary Science Education program. He is a proud product of New York City public schools, SUNY, and CUNY. He attended Binghamton University for his B.A. degree, majoring in environmental science and anthropology. Immediately after graduating, he earned his master’s in science education at City College through the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Years later, he completed a program through the New York City Leadership Academy and earned a second master’s in education administration at Baruch College. Currently, he is a third-year Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center, studying educational psychology.

Prof. Mechanick began working at CCNY in the Spring of 2014. He describes working with pre-service teachers as a privilege. “I believe in a pre-service teaching experience that is rooted in project-based learning, concrete methods and techniques, and fieldwork experiences. Each semester, my goal is to give the best experience for future educators in my class so they can feel confident in teaching on day one of being in their own classrooms.” He differentiates instruction for experienced teachers in his class. He says, “my goal is to enhance what they are doing and to give them additional perspectives while making long-term teaching and learning plans. Also, I make sure to give them space to share their experiences, so everyone can learn from their expertise.”

Curriculum and Instruction in Science Education (EDSE 3900I/45103) is Prof. Mechanick’s favorite course to teach because it is very practical for becoming a science teacher. The course examines the most important features of a science curriculum. In groups, students choose one current curriculum to evaluate, and they also learn how to plan for laboratory activities and plan for safe materials management. Finally, they learn how to use a curriculum to make a unit plan, and end the course with some general lesson planning and classroom management strategies. Prof. Mechanick says, “I enjoy getting feedback from students and speaking with colleagues in the School of Education to gain ideas on how to refine the course for the following year.”

Prof. Mechanick was recognized as a Math for America Master Teacher from 2013 to 2016. His long-term goals are to finish his pilot study and dissertation at the CUNY Graduate Center. In the short term, he looks forward to starting research on values embedded in science teacher narratives and the new New York State Science Learning Standards.