Brent Gilles, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Assistant Chair of Secondary Programs
Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education College of Education

678-839-6138
bgilles@westgZeL57nJUIp1fa.edu

Education Annex - Room 126
Office Hours
Tuesdays 10am - 1pm

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Brent Gilles, Ph.D.

Dr. Gilles is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Program Coordination in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education. He primarily teaches science education courses and works with graduate students transitioning into teaching through the MAT program and undergraduate elementary education majors. His research interests include scientific argumentation and examining how preservice teachers use discourse while constructing arguments. He is also interested in researching scientific practices and how they contribute to students using observations to construct scientific explanations or arguments. He is currently working on a book of practical stream activities for k12 teachers to use in their classroom, which is based on his previous stream work. Previously, he worked on a project focused on using scientific argumentation to help preservice teachers develop the skills necessary to design globalization lessons within their classrooms. He also has a passion for working with inservice teachers as demonstrated through his previous work. This work included partnerships with Central High School to assist teachers in developing curriculum to improve student literacy in math and science, and Carrollton City Schools to design environmental education curriculum that centers on stream science for grades k-12. Both partnerships focused on developing teachers knowledge of designing lessons using the engineering and scientific practices.

  • B.S., Meteorology, Valaparaiso University, 2007
  • M.Ed., Education, Valparaiso University, 2010
  • Ph.D., Curriculum & Instruction (Science Education), Indiana University, 2017

Fall 2025 Sections

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Fall 2020 Sections

Gilles, B. (2023). Engaging Teacher Candidates in Globally-Focused Teaching Through the Development of Scientific Arguments for Climate Change in Secondary Science. In: Buck, G.A., Dimitrieska, V., Akerson, V.L. (eds) Internationalizing Rural Science Teach

Gilles, B., & Britton, S.A. (2020). Moving Online: Creating a Relevant Learning Experience for Students in the Time of Covid-19. The Electronic Journal for Research in Science & Mathematics Education, 24(3), 19-28.

Gilles, B., & Buck, G. (2020). Preservice Teachers’ use of Discourse to Shape the Construction of Scientific Arguments. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 31(3), 291-310.

Gilles, B., Gault, R., Britton, S. (2019). Education outside the classroom: Engaging teachers in their own environment through professional development. GATEways to Teacher Education, 30(9), 1-9.

Gilles, B., & Buck, G. (2019). Considering pedagogical practices in higher education: How science methods instructors influence scientific argumentation construction. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 5(2), 744-757.

Gilles, B., Hawig, T., Sutton, A., & Britton, S. (2019). STEMing the flow for all. Connected Science Learning (10). http://csl.nsta.org/2019/04/steming-the-flow-for-all/

Gilles, B., & Buck, G. (2016). Exploring our theoretical and practical understandings of enthusiasm in science teaching: A self-study of elementary teacher preparation. In G. Buck & V. Akerson (Eds). Allowing our Professional Knowledge of Pre-Service Scien

Buck, G., Akerson, V.L., & Gilles, B. (2016). Garnering the experiences and understandings emerging from self-studies in science teacher education. In G. Buck & V. Akerson (Eds). Allowing our Professional Knowledge of Pre-Service Science Teacher Education