Alan Colburn

Alan Colburn is a professor of science education at California State University Long Beach, where he has taught pre‑service teachers for over two decades. Before entering higher education, he worked as a high school biology and physical sciences teacher, and his career has focused on helping elementary and middle school teachers understand science and effective science instruction. He was recognized as an award‑winning postsecondary educator, including a Teacher of the Year honor from the California science education community.

Colburn is the author of Learning Science by Doing Science: 10 Classic Investigations Reimagined to Teach Kids How Science Really Works, Grades 3–8, published in 2017 as a joint Corwin/NSTA Press title. He also wrote the monthly column “The Prepared Practitioner” for The Science Teacher magazine from 2007 to 2010 and has published widely on inquiry‑based science education, including the article “An Inquiry Primer,” which defines inquiry and its role in science teaching.