Mathematics Education

Penn State mathematics education faculty members are national and international leaders in mathematics education and engage in a wide variety of practical and scholarly work in mathematics education. Drawing on their experience teaching mathematics in K-12 settings as well as on their research-based knowledge of mathematics learning, teaching, and teacher education, faculty publish their work in research and practitioner journals and books. 

They regularly present their work at national and international conferences:

• AERA Annual Conference
• AMTE Annual Conferences
• NCTM Research Conference
• Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) Annual Conference
• PME North American (NA) Annual Conference.

Faculty members have also served in elected positions in national and international professional organizations, such as:

• American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on mathematics education.
• Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), and
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

The faculty have also been editors of leading research journals and book series, including: 

• Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME), 
• Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (JMTE), 
• Journal of Teacher Education (JTE), 
• Review of Educational Research (RER), and
• NCTM’s Essential Understandings book series.

Graduate students have opportunities to engage with faculty and each other in research on mathematics teaching, learning, and teacher education. PSU mathematics education faculty have conducted research in a number of areas of mathematics education, including (but not limited to),

• classroom use of mathematics technology,
• instructional coaching and teacher leadership in mathematics education,
• mathematics curriculum development and implementation,
• mathematical thinking and reasoning in areas such as algebra, statistics, rational number, and calculus,
• pedagogical and mathematical knowledge for teaching,
• practices and processes for mathematics classroom instruction, and
• professional preparation and continuing development of mathematics teachers.

Doctoral students enhance their knowledge of research in mathematics education by participating in a sequence of four foundations courses focused specifically on research in mathematics education: mathematics learning, mathematics teaching, mathematics curriculum, and mathematics teacher development and policy. Through these courses and additional doctoral-level mathematics education coursework and research experiences (e.g., research on technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics, mathematical thinking at the secondary and early college levels), you will be regularly engaged in mathematics education research as well as in examining important and relevant research studies.

As a graduate student in mathematics education, you will engage in mathematics courses and experiences that deepen your understandings of K-12 and collegiate mathematics. Specific mathematics coursework will build upon your existing mathematics background and reflect your future plans. The opportunity exists for a concurrent M.S. in mathematics or M.A.S. in statistics as a component of your doctoral program.

Graduates of our doctoral program have contributed to the field of mathematics education in exciting and innovative ways through leadership positions in school-level institutions and government organizations, as well as through faculty positions in mathematics departments or colleges/schools of education at U. S. and international institutes of higher education.

Mathematics education faculty members are national and international leaders in mathematics education and engage in a wide variety of practical and scholarly work in mathematics education. Drawing on their experience teaching mathematics in K-12 settings as well as on their knowledge of mathematics and pedagogy, faculty publish their work in research and practitioner journals and books, and they regularly present their work at national and international conferences. Faculty have served in elected positions in national organization such as the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on mathematics education. They have also edited leading research journals (Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, and Journal of Teacher Education) as well as the NCTM Essential Understanding book series.

• Conferences attended include the AERA Annual Conference, the AMTE Annual Conference, the NCTM Research Conference, the the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) Annual Conference, and the PME North American (NA) Annual Conference.

Graduate students have opportunities to engage with faculty in research on the teaching and learning of mathematics. Mathematics education faculty have conducted research in a number of areas of mathematics education, including (but not limited to),

• classroom use of mathematics technology;
• mathematics curriculum development and implementation;
• mathematical thinking and reasoning in areas such as algebra, statistics, rational number, and calculus;
• practices and processes of mathematics classroom instruction;
• pedagogical and mathematical understanding for teaching;
• professional preparation and development of mathematics teachers; and
• teacher leadership in mathematics education.

As a graduate student in mathematics education, you will engage in mathematics courses and experiences that deepen your understanding of K-12 and collegiate mathematics. Specific mathematics coursework will build upon your existing mathematics background and reflect your future plans. The opportunity exists for a concurrent M.S. in mathematics or M.A.S. in statistics as a component of your doctoral program.

Doctoral students enhance their knowledge of research in mathematics education by participating in a sequence of four foundations courses focused specifically on research in mathematics education: mathematics learning, mathematics teaching, mathematics curriculum, and mathematics teacher development and policy. Through these courses and additional doctoral-level mathematics education coursework and research experiences (e.g., research on technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics, mathematical thinking at the secondary and early college levels), you will be regularly engaged in mathematics education research as well as in examining important and relevant research studies.

You and your adviser will work together to design your program of study. The College of Education has thriving graduate programs in other areas. Doctoral students may select electives from among such areas as curriculum and supervision, educational policy, educational psychology, educational technology, international comparative education, science education, and special education.

Graduates of our doctoral program have contributed to the field of mathematics education in exciting and innovative ways through leadership positions in school-level institutions and government organizations, as well as through faculty positions in mathematics departments or colleges/schools of education at U. S. and international institutes of higher education.