Adam Poetzel, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), recently co-authored an article that was featured in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics magazine, Mathematics Teacher. The article was featured on the cover and is titled "Three Dimensional Printing: A Journey in Visualization."

In addition, Poetzel and C&I assistant professor Gloriana González received a PITA grant for this year titled "Enhancing Pre-service Mathematics Teacher Preparation through Rehearsals, Recordings, and Field-Based Methods Courses." The grant will allow González and Poetzel to examine the strategies used to prepare and certify secondary mathematics teachers under the broad national adoption of the Common Core State Math Standards, standards that have garnered national attention recently.

"A common goal in these discussions is to create more authentic, meaningful, and well-supervised early field experiences," Poetzel said about the PITA grant. Through partnering with a group of in-service mathematics teachers at a local school, on-site methods course experiences will be woven throughout the first year of the secondary mathematics education program, according to Poetzel and González.

The grant includes the use of iPads in the classroom, which provides the technology necessary for students to easily record and then discuss specific teaching actions. “We have already seen positive outcomes in our students’ ability to talk about their choices when discussing the videos of their teaching and we are excited to learn more about how this innovative tool will support their learning,” González said. 

In addition to González and Poetzel, C&I doctoral student Anna DeJarnette is working in the grant. DeJarnette earned her master's degree in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics from the College of Education.

Poetzel's instructional focus is on the preparation and training of pre-service mathematics teachers to effectively teach diverse K-12 students. Currently, he teaches a variety of methods courses for both undergraduate and graduate candidates including courses that examine the role of technology in today’s mathematics classrooms. He maintains strong ties with local schools and is actively involved in several grants focused on the professional development of in-service mathematics teachers.

González's research focuses on how teachers manage students' prior knowledge. She is interested in examining teachers' decision-making when handling students' prior knowledge and the rationality underlying those decisions. She has studied this question in the particular case of the high school geometry class, which has special demands for the teaching and learning of mathematics.