Tara McGill

Tara McGill

Tara McGill

Curriculum Development Specialist
Adjunct Faculty , Master of Science in Education

tara.mcgill@northwestern.edu

Biography

Tara A. W. McGill is a Curriculum Development Specialist with professor Brian Reiser’s lab in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Prior to her current position, she taught ninth-grade biology in Chicago Public Schools and developed curriculum materials with Ag in Progress Partnership, NFP.  She researched honey bee biology and behavior in the Entomology Department at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign (UIUC). While at UIUC, she also performed informal science outreach and collaborated on several science education projects.

She is a member of the National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA) and serves as Director of Informal Science of Illinois Science Teacher’s Association (ISTA). McGill is also a facilitator and member of the design team for the Next Generation Science Exemplar System for Professional Development (NGSX), which is a web-based professional development system designed to help educators grow in their understanding of three-dimensional learning as laid out in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. 


Research/Scholarship

Education

Year Degree Institution
MS, Entomology University of Illinois- Urbana/Champaign
MAT, Secondary Science with Middle-Level Learning Endorsement National Louis University
BA, Biology Boston University

Research Interests

Design of scientific curriculum materials, professional development and cooperative learning