People

Faculty

Research

Mathematics education research involves disciplined inquiry into the teaching and learning of mathematics at all grade levels – pre-school though college. Such research has flourished over the past several decades. As outlined below, faculty in the Department of Mathematics Sciences are actively engaged in a number of research projects.

• Cristina Bacuta
  
  1. “Assessing Pre-service Teachers’ Abilities to do Proofs” with colleagues at SUNY Cortland - PMET-NSF Grant DUE-0230847. The goals for the project are to align the departmental assessment plan with the MET report recommendations, to utilize the assessment outcomes to redesign the teaching and learning of proof in a discrete mathematics course, and to engage both the faculty and the high school teachers in collaborations.
  2. "The Transition from High School to College Mathematics". There are many possible reasons making the transition to university too difficult for many students: curriculum, assessment, content, pedagogy, teachers, learners, social issues, etc. The focus of the study is on the new college students' perceptions and expectations.
• Jinfa Cai
  • Primary interest is how middle and high school students learn mathematics and solve problems, and how teachers can design learning environments to help students make sense of mathematics. Has explored these questions within and across nations. Recently has focused on students' mathematical thinking and the impact of instructional, curricular, and cultural factors on students' learning. Currently is investigating teachers' pedagogical representations and their impact on students' mathematical thinking (funded by Spencer Foundation), as well as exploring earlier algebraic experiences needed for taking middle and high school algebra (funded by the National Science Foundation).
    
• Christine Ebert
  • Information forthcoming
    
• Aifinio Flores
  • Primary interest is helping students and prospective and in-service teachers develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics. He uses computers, calculators, and concrete materials to make mathematical abstractions more tangible and help students and teachers develop a network of connected mathematical concepts.

Mathematics education across campus

• School of Education
• Mathematics & Science Education Resource Center

©2004, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Last Modified: September 2, 2008
Comments? E-Mail Webmaster (www@math.udel.edu)