Description
The purpose of this research study is to explore the experiences, outcomes and impact of the Teaching Elementary School Mathematics (TESM) certificate program on the teachers who completed (or will soon complete) the program. The research aims to understand how this TESM professional development experience influences K-8 teachers’ relationships with mathematics with/in the culture(s) of their mathematics classrooms. The two-part research question asks: How do the TESM graduates perceive and describe the impact of the TESM certificate program on them in their roles as mathematics teachers? Have their experiences with TESM changed, challenged and/or enhanced their relationship with mathematics? To study these relation(ship)s within the culture(s) of mathematics classrooms, a socio-critical ethnographic research design will be used.
Academic Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, University of Regina. Dissertation: Shadowed by Light, Knowing by Heart: Preservice Teachers’ Images of Knowing (in) Math and Science. 2001.
- Diploma in Education, Secondary Physics and Mathematics, McGill University. 1991.
- Master of Science, Physics, University of Toronto. Research Project: The Genetic Effects of Ionizing Radiation. 1987.
- Bachelor of Science (Honors), Physics and Mathematics, Saint Mary’s University. 1985.
Research projects and interests
Current research focuses on mathematics teacher education, exploring issues of teacher identity; the regulatory practices of schooling, learning and knowing; theory-practice transitions in secondary mathematics teacher education; inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning mathematics; and disrupting notions of field experience supervision through video conferencing technologies and blended learning environments. Bourdieu’s social field theory and theories of critical mathematics education feature prominently in this research, as do narrative and self-study methodologies. Past research endeavors include the role of play in science education, the integration of ICT into student internships, and pre-service teachers’ perceptions of alternative assessment in mathematics. Additional research interests include performative arts-based research methodologies and creative scholarly research-writing.
