Teaching is my professional passion. I take an optimistic approach to new pedagogical methods and approach teaching in a spirit of creativity, flexibility, and curiosity. Because teaching has been so profoundly personally enriching for me, I earnestly embrace the challenges and responsibilities of facilitating learning.
I believe the basic purpose of education is to facilitate individual growth, which encompasses more than academic knowledge. I am especially attentive to processes supporting academic motivation, especially the social cognitive mechanisms of self-efficacy, which suggest that a student’s judgments of his or her ability to accomplish tasks in specific contexts have profound effects on the student’s choices and subsequent performance. By reflecting on successes and challenges, students can develop personal strategies to exercise control over their own learning, which in turn helps students to develop realistic confidence in their abilities and to persist in the face of obstacles.

More About Me

I am comfortable in many teaching roles, including designer of direct lecture-based instruction and facilitator of guided student inquiry. Promoting a safe, fun, and high-energy classroom atmosphere is my primary classroom goal, and I commonly use a variety of pedagogical techniques to achieve this goal—including interactive lecture, whole-class discussion, small group activities, semester-long cooperative and collaborative projects, presentations, and learning portfolios. My instruction blends theory, application, classic content, non-traditional concepts, and reform-based techniques.

Like most mathematics teachers, the goals I have for student learning extend past procedural fluency to include rich conceptual understanding and strategies to select and use mathematical strategies. I often develop specialized handouts and activities to present students with well-structured challenges that invite scaffolded problem-solving, communication, representation, and reasoning processes. Activities can inspire students to learn new content, explore non-traditional topics, and apply theory in practical contexts.  

Some Example Activities

Despite some persistent attempts early in my career, I do not believe a teacher can transmit knowledge to students. Instead, I try to set conditions for learning and choose activities that provide students’ engaging challenges. Technology can be a valuable tool for facilitating this process, and I consistently integrate technologies such as graphing calculators, web-based manipulatives, spreadsheets, and computer algebra systems in all my courses, from content courses to courses aimed at building the specialized knowledge needed for teaching elementary or secondary mathematics. My experience and research into appropriate uses of technology in mathematics courses is an important asset in my teaching, and I often use technology to keep instruction fresh and interesting.

I enjoy the quest for knowledge, but not all students share that love of learning. I see this as a great opportunity, though, and I welcome students’ diverse approaches to and purposes for education. I enjoy learning about the experiences and expectations of my students, which often means making adjustments to the rich mixture of students’ mathematical understandings, trepidations, curiosities, cultural identifications, purposes and life experiences. For me, responsive teaching is about being myself while showing genuine interest in my students, and I have found this approach to be warmly received by students.

As an applied researcher, I am always learning new things and on the look-out for new ideas and perspectives on the problems facing mathematics education. I am trained in research paradigms, modern learning theory, experimental and quasi-experimental design, advanced statistical theory and analysis, qualitative inquiry, and the major paradigms of social science research. This varied background has instilled a pragmatic and reflective approach to research, and I am open to new perspectives on what might work in a research context.

In my view, the purpose of educational research is to develop evidence-based knowledge claims that can inform on-going innovation and improvement of educational practices and policy. As a result, I flexibly consider psychological and sociological theoretical perspectives on learning while applying quantitative and qualitative methods as appropriate to authentic research problems. I am relatively new to mathematics education research, but my strengths as a researcher include a deep understanding of mathematics content, strong writing skills, comfort with statistical methods, and a commitment to rigorous and solution-oriented approaches to research.

            My dissertation, directed by Dr. Robert Powers, is entitled “The mathematics self-efficacy and calibration of students in a secondary mathematics teacher preparation program.” The study investigates the performance and cognitive beliefs of  students taking one of twelve sections of advanced mathematics courses at the University of Northern Colorado in spring 2009. Using a mixed methods design, the study extends path analysis designs by Chen (2002) and Pajares & Kranzler (1995) to a structural equation modeling approach coupled with authentic assessments and task-based interviews as supporting qualitative data sources. The study explores variation in final exam performance through a social cognitive theory perspective, including hypothesized direct and indirect effects of students’ prior mathematics performance, choice of college major, gender, self-efficacy, and calibration.

In addition to my dissertation study, I also regularly engage in ongoing collaborative research. An innovative semester-long college algebra project co-developed with Frieda Parker led to an article soon to appear in the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education on students’ attitudes toward the value of mathematics in their future careers. As the first research assistant for the NSF-funded Math TLC initiative at University of Northern Colorado and University of Wyoming, I engaged in extended field experience observing and interviewing secondary teachers in preparation for their participation in a secondary master’s program. In 2007-2008, I worked closely with my research advisor, Dr. Powers, to design and implement an activity-based college algebra course taught with the TI-Navigator graphing calculator network. We presented the accompanying research study at a national conference on technology in mathematics education, and the activities are now freely available online.

I plan to extend my dissertation research to explore students’ performance in specialized mathematics courses, especially pre- and in-service mathematics teachers taking feedback-rich content courses. In addition, I think it is important to continue collaborating with educational researchers, teachers, and mathematicians with a spirit of innovation and problem-solving. No matter what, I expect to adapt my research program as I encounter new people, ideas, and interests in mathematics education.