Jim Minstrell

Jim Minstrell is a Senior Research Scientist and co-founder of FACET Innovations. He spent 30 years teaching mathematics, physics and integrated science & mathematics at the high school level. Part way into his teaching career Jim became aware of “misconceptions” research.  He began studying the learning and teaching of his own students and those of his teacher colleagues. The negative connotation of the term misconceptions and the realization that there were strengths as well as problematic thinking in his students’ understandings prompted Jim and colleagues to coin the term “facets of student thinking.”

Since retiring from the classroom, Jim has remained very active in science education. He has been a PI or co-PI of various research and development projects related to assessment, professional development and the Diagnoser project. He also serves as external evaluator and advisor on several STEM projects.  Jim’s ongoing interest in formative assessment and the promotion of deep conceptual understanding and reasoning in learners informs all of his work.

Jim received his BA in mathematics education from the University of Washington, his Masters in Science Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction/ Science Education from the University of Washington.