Biography

My perspectives on science stem from initial degrees in microbiology and entomology, and early career experiences with agricultural research, in the Atlantic provinces and New England states. A love for teaching compelled me into education; I taught middle and high school sciences for 9 years in international schools in the Philippines, South Korea, China and Japan.  A growing awareness of and interest in seemingly dominant values and practices in science teaching brought me back home for graduate degrees in science education to study these phenomena.  Through critical ethnographic and post structural perspectives involving analysis of discourse, I inquire into cultural aspects of science education as a way to generate knowledge about how dominant practices and discourse shape teacher subjectivity and practice. This knowledge can provide an interpretive lens to teachers and education communities to evaluate the way things are in science education, and therefore how they might be transformed.  I teach courses pertaining to science education, environmental education, outdoor education, and critical/cultural perspectives. 

Teaching 

Orientations to teaching and pedagogy need to be, I believe, responsive to the individuals being taught. Part of being a responsive educator is to provide a safe learning environment so constructive, open dialogue, leading to learning can take place. I’ve strived through my teaching career to address sources of oppression, to disrupt taken for granted and marginalizing discourses, and to develop anti-oppressive pedagogy. Empathy, compassion and knowledge of identity issues and how these are pertinent to local communities have been key attributes for my success teaching in this setting. Issues of student identity emphasise the importance of relevance in teaching and learning. Issues of relevance are made prescient daily as teachers encounter the inescapable dissonance between learning about being a science teacher and being a science teacher. I engage preservice teachers in developing and teaching activities that represent what they likely would ideally be enacting in schools. Students design and teach lessons, constructing knowledge about how to be a teacher. These practical expectations are balanced, however, with the provision of intellectual tools and space for learners to question normative practices, engage in critique, and transform what may be taken for granted. I strive to give each student the individual attention they need for an affirming learning experience. I engage in non-authoritarian interaction with students that encourages a degree of accessibility and comfort in approaching me with their questions or concerns. This, in turn, facilitates formative assessment and allows me to give detailed feedback that can provide direction toward effective, engaged learning. I am interested in students’ lives, and value the unique experiences and knowledge students hold, which enables me to be responsive to their learning needs. Ultimately, such knowledge and experiences become the guideposts by which the progression toward required professional and transformative learning is informed. 

Faculty & School/Dept

• Faculty of Education -

Courses Taught

• Critical Pedagogy (GS/EDUC 5800)
• Cultural Studies in Science Education (GS/EDUC 5851)
• Teaching Biology in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - A (ED/BIOL 4000)
• Teaching Biology in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - B (ED/BIOL 4001)
• Teaching Environmental Science in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - A (ED/ENVS 4000)
• Teaching Environmental Science in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions - B (ED/ENVS 4001)

Selected Publications

• Hoeg, D., El Halwany, S., Sperling, E., Zouda, M. & Bencze, L. (2019). Confronting self-Stories of incipiency, disequilibrium, and becoming critical in science education. In J. Bazzul & C. Siry (Eds.), (pp. 127-140). DordrechtSpringer
• Hoeg, D. (2019). Considerations of spirituality in science education. In S. Jagger & P. Trafonas (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Studies and Education (pp. 364-380). UKRoutledge
• Hoeg, D. & Bencze, L. (2017). Values underpinning STEM education in the USA: An analysis of the Next Generation Science Standards.. Science Education, 101 (2), 278-301.
• Hoeg, D. & Bencze, L. (2017). Rising against a gathering storm: A biopolitical analysis of citizenship in STEM policy.. Cultural Studies of Science Education , 12 (4), 843-861.
• Hoeg, D., Williamson, T., & Bencze, L. (2017). School science ruling relations and resistance to activism in early secondary school science. In L. Bencze (Ed.), Science and Technology Education Promoting Wellbeing for Individuals, Societies and Environments (pp. 49-66). DordrechtSpringer
• Hoeg, D., DiGiacomo, A., El Halwany, S., Krstovic, M., Milanovic, Phillips-McNeil,C., M., Zouda, M., & Bencze, L. (2017). Science for citizenship: Using Prezi for education about critical socio- scientific issues. . In In L. Bencze Science and Technology Education Promoting Wellbeing for Individuals, Societies and Environments (pp. 359-380). DordrechtSpringer
• Hoeg, D. & Barrett, S. (2016). Pre-service teachers' beliefs about environmental education: Enthusiasm and misconceptions.. In D. Karrow, M. DiGiuseppe, P. Elliott, Y. Gwekwerere & H. Inwood (Eds.), Canadian Perspectives on Initial Teacher Environmental Education Praxis (pp. 35-66). Ottawa, ONCanadian Association for Teacher Education
• Hoeg, D., Lemelin, N. & Bencze, L. (2015). Socio-political development of private school children mobilising for disadvantaged others. Cultural Studies of Science Education , 10 (4), 1155-1174.
• Inwood, H. & Hoeg, D (2015). Going DEEPER: Outdoor and experiential learning in initial teacher education. Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, 27 (3), 6-12.
• Hoeg, D. & Bencze, L. (2014). Counter cultural hegemony: Student teachers experiences implementing STSE-activism. In L. Bencze & S. Alsop (Eds.), Activist Science and Technology Education (pp. 575-596). DordrechtSpringer
• Hoeg, D (2011). Curriculum and creativity: One teacher's story of including science content in STSE-activism education. The Crucible , 42 (5).

York University Affiliations/Cross Appointments

• Science and Technology Studies: Grad studies supervision