Fifth-Year Students

After teaching mathematics in secondary contexts for seven years, primarily in Wilmington, Delaware, I developed a strong interest in the transformative experiences that can occur in the mathematics classroom. I joined the Ph.D. program at the University of Delaware to pursue my interests in the study of the school mathematics experience. My research interests focus on how teaching and learning connect, with a focus on secondary algebra content. I am currently exploring how middle school students develop their representational activity through their classroom interactions.

Working as a secondary school math teacher encouraged me to purse my M.A. in Educational Studies from University of Michigan. Then I started the PhD program in mathematics education because I am especially interested in how teachers and materials can better support student learning. My current research focuses on how teachers direct students’ noticing by observing the teacher’s words, gestures, and the interaction with the materials. I am still open to any other related topics on mathematics education.

Fourth-Year Students

As I was completing my MSc in Mathematics from India in 2020, I started teaching high school students due to my interest. For the past year, I taught at various levels (elementary school to undergraduate courses), trained students for various competitions (including the International Mathematics Olympiad), and worked with high school teachers to adapt themselves for virtual teaching (introducing them to GeoGebra, Desmos, etc.). As I worked more, I saw the necessity of understanding more about mathematics education and the opportunities that could open up to work on a broader scale, which led me to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics education at UD. My current research interests include examining how various variables affect students’ mathematical understanding, understanding different learning methods, and investigating the role of the curriculum.

After graduating from Bogazici University with a bachelor’s degree of Mathematics Education, I worked as assistant teacher in Italy for six months. Then I got my M.S. in Secondary School Science and Mathematics Education. During my master’s study, I got the chance to study in Finland for a semester and take a variety of courses including qualitative research methods, educational leadership, and international education policy and practices. My master’s thesis was about exploration of effective professional development characteristics from the perspective of PD coordinator, facilitator, and participants. After finishing my master’s study, I worked as math teacher in an international school for a year. Since I was so excited for doing research, I wanted to pursue my Ph.D. study here in UD. I am interested in learning more about how we can reinforce teacher learning, how their learning turns into practice, and learning environment design.

Third-Year Students

After graduating from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education, I worked as a first-grade classroom teacher in Asheville, NC until earning my M.A. in Mathematics Education from the University of Maryland. While earning my degree, I served as a University Supervisor for Middle School Math and Science teacher candidates. Most recently, I worked as a middle school mathematics teacher in Wilmington, DE until I began at the University of Delaware in the Mathematics Education Ph.D. program. My experiences sparked my interest in the relationships teachers and students have with mathematics. Presently, my research interests are in mathematical identity, and specifically, how pre service teachers’ experiences as students in mathematics classrooms coalesce with their attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics teaching.

Second-Year Students

After graduating from The University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Physics, I taught twelfth-grade math in Atlanta while earning an M.Ed. through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education Teaching Fellows program. I transitioned out of the classroom to pursue my passion for education research, and worked as both the Curriculum Developer and Evaluation & Research Assistant for a National Science Foundation Small Business Technology Transfer Project focused on integrating STEM and music in a 3rd-grade virtual camp setting. Before beginning the Ph.D. program at the University of Delaware, I worked as the Associate Research Director for the ACE Ascent Program in Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives, which focuses on building up collective leadership models (including teacher leadership/coaching) in Catholic schools.

My emerging research interests include Calculus teaching and learning, particularly in the areas of task design and students’ construction of knowledge.

First-Year Students

After graduating from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana with a B.Ed. in Mathematics, I taught senior high school mathematics. Along the line, I obtained an M.Phil. in Mathematics Education from the same university. I then transitioned to the S.D.A. College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua to pursue my passion for teaching mathematics courses and mentoring the next generation of teachers, and with their rich pedagogical content knowledge, contribute to making mathematics learning interesting and meaningful to all learners.

These experiences motivated me to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education at the University of Delaware. My emerging research interests include working with teachers and students to enact mathematics lessons that foster students’ meaningful learning, especially in geometry.

I graduated from the College of St. Benedict with a B.A. in Elementary Education. Then, I moved to New York City and taught 4th grade while working on my M.Ed. in Elementary Education through the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program. After graduating, I moved to Denver, CO and taught 4th/5th grade math and science for several years. While I loved working with kids, I grew to love working with pre-service and novice elementary teachers working as clinical faculty and supervisor for Notre Dame’s M.Ed. program during my summer breaks. These experiences inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. in Math Education at UD. My emerging research interests revolve around shifting negative math identity in elementary teachers, as well the qualities of effective methods courses and professional learning for beginning elementary teachers.

I earned a B.S. in Psychology and a M.A. in Mathematics at American University. I then spent a year managing AU’s Mathematics and Statistics Tutoring Program, before moving into an instructor role in AU, teaching math and statistics for four years. The highlight of my time teaching was adapting a History of Mathematics course to be an interdisciplinary course that explored issues of diversity and equity in mathematics and integrated instruction in writing and information literacy.
While I loved teaching college, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education to deepen my understanding of the dynamics of education and learn how to contribute to the corpus of mathematics education research. For my research, I would like to explore ways to increase representation of marginalized groups in mathematics and to improve students’ experience in college math classes by examining questions of identity and belonging.

Former Students

Dr. Casey Griffin – Assistant Professor, University of La Verne

Dr. Kateri Sternberg – Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Delaware

Dr. Amanda Mohamed Mirzaei – Assistant Professor, Manhattanville
University

Dr. Steve Silber – Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech University

Dr. Laura Willoughby – Mathematics Instructional Specialist, School Success Center,
University of Delaware

Dr. Julien Corven – Assistant Professor, Illinois State University

Dr. Kwaku Edusei – Instructor, International School Bangkok

Dr. Matthew Melville – Assistant Professor, Purdue University Fort Wayne

Dr. Kelly Curtis – Mathematics Instructional Specialist, School Success Center, University of Delaware

Dr. Kristin McKenney – Teacher, Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Dr. Jenifer Hummer – Assistant Professor, West Chester University

Dr. Tony Mixell – Adjunct Professor, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Joe DiNapoli – Associate Professor, Montclair State University

Dr. Siobahn Suppa – Associate Professor, Stockton University

Dr. Emily Miller – Associate Professor, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Ali Marzocchi – Professor, California State University in Fullerton

Dr. Erin Meikle –  Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh (retired)

Dr. Heather Gallivan – Associate Professor, University of Northern Iowa

Dr. Susana Molitoris-Miller – Assistant Professor, Kutztown University

Dr. Taffy McAneny – Assistant Professor, West Chester University of Pennsylvania (retired)

Dr. Jathan Austin – Associate Professor, Salisbury University

Dr. Rob Wieman – Associate Professor, Rowan University

Dr. Nancy Dyson – Assistant Professor, University of Delaware

Dr. Eric Sisofo – Assistant Professor, University of Delaware

Dr. Corey Webel – Associate Professor, University of Missouri

Dr. Brian Bowen – Professor, West Chester State University

Dr. Christine Phelps-Gregory – Professor, Central Michigan University

Dr. Delayne Johnson – Associate Professor, Delaware State University

Dr. Sandy Spitzer – Professor & Director of M.S. in Math Education, Towson University

Dr. Lauren Goggins – Teacher, William Penn High School

Dr. James Beyers – Professor, The College of New Jersey

Dr. Rodney McNair – Professor, Delaware State University (retired)

Dr. Stephen Hwang – Research Associate, University of Delaware

Dr. Nicola Edwards – Associate Professor, Delaware State University

Dr. Yuichi Handa – Professor, University of California, Chico (retired)

Dr. Julie Cwikla – Professor, University of Southern Mississippi

Dr. Margaret Smith – Professor, Iona College

Dr. Theresa Grant – Professor, Western Michigan University

Dr. David Slavit – Professor, Washington State University