Should a culture of research collaboration between mathematicians, math education faculty and teachers be established and nurtured, for example, with a SSHRC-funded grant?

Collaborations among mathematicians, math education researchers, and teachers could help construct a secondary-school curriculum with more “authentic” mathematics. However, these groups often inhabit distinct disciplinary cultures with different languages, goals, and measures of success. Is it both possible and desirable to build a sustained culture of research collaboration across these communities?

Bios

Amanda Cooper is a Professor and the Dean of the Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education at Ontario Tech University. Dr. Cooper’s innovative research program RIPPLE (Research Informing Policy, Practice, and Leadership in Education) aims to accelerate research impact in public service sectors via multi-stakeholder networks. Dr. Cooper works with schools and community organizations to increase the use of research evidence in public service sectors to improve teaching and learning. She also studies the way that universities and research can improve society. Before joining Ontario Tech University, Dr. Cooper served as Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership at Queen’s University. Her newest areas of inquiry create training, curriculum and resources for using artificial intelligence as a teaching tool across kindergarten to Grade 12 and higher education sectors.

George Gadanidis is a Mathematics Education professor at Western University. He has spent many happy mornings and afternoons in classrooms, collaborating and co-teaching with educators to offer ways of engaging young children with big ideas of mathematics. His work is often at the intersection of mathematics, technology and the arts. More about his work at https://imaginethis.ca.

Asia Matthews is a mathematics educator who has taught across secondary, postsecondary, and teacher education contexts. She spent eight years at Quest University in a deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary teaching environment, alongside leading grant-funded mathematics enrichment programs. Since the university’s closure in 2023, she has worked across a range of settings, from high schools and regional colleges to teaching a graduate course in mathematical thinking at the University of British Columbia. Now based in Kingston, she is seeking her place within an education system she both values and continues to question.

Timothy Sibbald (OCT, PhD) is a professor focused on mathematics education in the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University. His research pertains to interdisciplinary math teaching, instructional strategies, and history of math education in Ontario. He is the editor of the Ontario Mathematics Gazette (OAME/AOEM).

Cody Wilson has taught secondary mathematics for over ten years. In his teaching, he aims to support students to develop deep mathematical understandings and positive mathematical identities by engaging in authentic disciplinary practices. Cody is also a PhD candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where his research explores the design of professional development that supports teachers to learn about practices for teaching mathematics by making connections to practices for doing mathematics. Cody has presented at mathematics education conferences in Canada and the United States. Outside of mathematics, Cody enjoys functional fitness and the occasional reality TV show.