about

jwcwg4g11The intent of this website is to highlight recreational mathematics, elementary, and middle school mathematics.  While I have tried to be clear and keep the site easy to navigate, there is also a purposeful attempt to blend recreational mathematics to the mathematics that are taught K-12 in schools.  I teach 6th grade math at Odenville Middle School, part of my professional home, St. Clair County Schools.  Motivated by an interest about how children construct logico-mathematical knowledge, I studied under the guidance of Constance Kamii in early childhood education with a specialization in Piagetian theory.

Education/Certification

2014 Ph.D., Early Childhood Education, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dissertation: How Children Quantify Area Chair: Constance Kamii, Ph.D.

2009 National Board Certified Teacher, Middle Childhood Generalist

2009 AA Certification, Elementary Education, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

2006 Master of Arts, Elementary Education, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

2000 Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education, The University of Montevallo

 Professional Leadership/Development/Presentations

  • NCTM: How Children Quantify Area (2015)
  • ACTM: How Children Quantify Area (2014)
  • AMSTI: Math Journaling, Jacksonville State University (2014 & 2015)
  • G4G11: The Level 2 Menger Sponge with Playing Cards (2014)
  • Mid-South Reading and Writing Institute Steering Committee (2010-2013)
  • Co-leader of A Mathematician’s Lament book study
  • AETC: Using Wolfram|Alpha in the Elementary Math Classroom (2012)
  • ARMT Content & Bias Committee 2010 (Math) Montgomery, Alabama
  • ACEI Conference: The Democratic Classroom (2008)
  • Mid-South Reading and Writing Institute: Working with Diverse Families (2007)
  • Mentored student teachers from UAB (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 & 2013)

Selected Professional Readings

  • Syntactic Structures, Noam Chomsky
  • Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire
  • The Unschooled Mind, Howard Gardner
  • Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic: Implications of Piaget’s Theory, Constance Kamii
  • Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic- 3rd grade, Constance Kamii
  • Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn
  • What Does it Mean to be Well Educated?, Alfie Kohn
  • A Mathematician’s Lament, Paul Lockhart
  • Measurement, Paul Lockhart
  • Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics, Liping Ma
  • Science Notebooks, NSTA Books
  • The Child’s Conception of Geometry, Jean Piaget
  • The Child’s Conception of Number, Jean Piaget
  • The Child’s Conception of Space, Jean Piaget
  • The Moral Judgment of the Child, Jean Piaget

Awards and Recognitions

  • UAB Commitment to Early Childhood Education Program 2013
  • St. Clair County No LimIT Teacher of the Year 2010-2011
  • St. Clair County No LimIT Award Winner, November 2010
  • St. Clair County Teacher of the Year 2010
  • Odenville Intermediate School Teacher of the Year 2009-2010
  • Recipient of Creative Grant from St. Clair County Educational Foundation
  • Recipient of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Grant

Publications

  • Book Review of The Joy of x: A Guided Tour from One to Infinity, Math Horizons Journal, Mathematical Association of America (April 2014)
  • An Elementary Look at the Kruskal Count, G4G10 Martin Gardner Tribute Book (2012)
  • Chapter: Carl Jung, A Little Book on Theories of Development: Applying Theories of Development to Inclusive Classrooms (2008)
  • Chapter: Howard Gardner, A Little Book on Theories of Development: Applying Theories of Development to Inclusive Classrooms (2008)
  • Among the Periodicals: Family-Friendly Teachers: Tips for Working with Diverse Families, Childhood Education (2007)

Professional Memberships

  • Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • School Science and Mathematics Association
  • SCCEA/NEA/AEA

Recommended Reading:

Ecker, M. Number play, calculators, and card tricks: Mathemagical black holes. Retrieved from http://g4gardner.pbworks.com/f/mm-ecker.pdf

Gardner, M. (2001). A gardner’s workout: Training the mind and entertaining the spirit. Natick, MA: A K Peters.

O’Shea, O. & Dudley, U. (2007). The magic numbers of the professor. Washington, DC: The Mathematical Association of America, Inc.

Posamentier, A. & Leimann, I. (2009). Mathematical amazements and surprises: Fascinating figures and noteworthy numbers. New York: Prometheus Books.

Kamii, C. (1994). Young children continue to reinvent arithmetic- 3rd grade: Implications of Piaget’s theory. New York: Teachers College Press.

Kamii, C. (2000). Young children reinvent arithmetic: Implications of Piaget’s theory, 2nd ed. New York: Teachers College Press.

Kordemsky, B. (1972). The moscow puzzles: 359 mathematical recreations. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.