Andy Cavagnetto

Biography

Links to Profiles and Websites

• Visit my personal lab website
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Education

• PhD, Science Education, University of Iowa

After teaching high school biology and chemistry in Minnesota and New York, I completed my PhD at the University of Iowa in 2006 before taking a faculty position at Binghamton University in 2006. In 2012, I moved to Washington State University where I now serve in the Department of Teaching and Learning and the School of Biological Sciences.

Research Interests

My research revolves around how our evolutionary history influences the way we learn. This has led to a focus on the role of evolutionary tools such as collaboration, argumentation, and disagreement in supporting scientific literacy. I study how instructors create environments that leverage these tools, how students engage with them, and how these tools can most effectively be leveraged in the era of generative AI.

Representative Publications

• Hand, B., & Cavagnetto, A. R. (2025). Brian’s life is not just another brick in the wall: Reframing the metaphor of science teaching. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 1–15. doi: 15505170.2023.2284711
• Premo, J., Cavagnetto, A. R., Collins, L., Davis, W. B., & Offerdahl, E. (2023). Discourse remixed: Using interdependency to shift student learning through talk. Journal of Experimental Education, 9(2), 336-357.  doi: 10.1080/00220973.2021.1993771
• Cavagnetto, A. R., Premo, J., Coleman, Z., & Juergens, K. (2022). Accuracy and idea consideration: A study of small  group interaction in biology. CBE Life-Sciences, 21:ar5, 1–11. doi: 10.1187/cbe.21-03-0067
• Cavagnetto, A. R., Hand, B., & Premo, J. (2020). Supporting student agency in science. Theory into Practice, 59(2), 128-138. doi: 10.1080/00405841.2019.1702392
• Premo. J., Cavagnetto A. R., & Davis, W. B. (2018). Promoting collaborative classrooms: The impacts of interdependent cooperative learning on undergraduate interactions and achievement. CBE-Life Science Education, 17:ar32, 1-16. doi: 10.1187/cbe.17-08-0176
• Premo, J., & Cavagnetto, A. R. (2018). Priming students for whole-class interaction: Using interdependence to  support behavioral engagement. Social Psychology in Education, 21(4), 915-935. doi: 10.1007/s11218-018-9445-y
• Cavagnetto, A. R., & Kurtz, K. J. (2016). Promoting students’ attention to argumentative reasoning patterns. Science  Education, 100(4), 625-644. doi: 10.1002/sce.21220
• Cavagnetto, A. R., Hand, B., & Norton-Meier, L. (2011). Negotiating the inquiry question: A comparison of whole  class and small group strategies in grade five science classrooms. Research in Science Education, 41, 193-209. doi: 10.1007/s11165-009-9152-y
• Cavagnetto, A. R. (2010). Argument to foster scientific literacy: A review of argument interventions in K-12 contexts. Review of Educational Research, 80, 336-371. doi: 10.3102%2F0034654310376953

Teaching

I primarily teach courses related to learning and teaching in science. These include:

• Biology 430: Methods of Teaching Secondary Science I
• TCH LRN 371: Teaching Elementary Science
• MIT 501: Learning and Development in School and Community Contexts
• MIT 534: Elementary School Science Methods

I also occasionally teach courses in the Math/Science PhD program. These have included:

• ED_MTHSC 598: Research Seminar in Mathematics and Science Education
• TCH LRN 584: Research in Teaching Mathematics and Science

Currently, I am developing a new course focused on examining the role of evolutionary tools in individual and societal learning.