Stephanie Smith, associate professor of Curriculum & Instruction, and Jessica Hardy, assistant professor of Special Education, are PI and Co-PI on a project supported by the National Science Foundation's Division of Research on Learning.
Math Partners: Collaborations to Support Early Math Learning will focus on working with teachers and teaching assistants to establish positive relationships with parents and caregivers that families' knowledge and experiences are primarily related to the development of math skills.
The four-year project is set to improve how mathematics is taught and understood, benefiting educators and learners alike.
From the abstract:
Early home and school experiences support the development of mathematical skills. Therefore, Math Partners will focus on helping teachers and families build strong partnerships in the context of mathematics. Math Partners will use teacher professional development (i.e., learning labs and small-group coaching) and classroom design teams to help teachers enhance their classroom teaching by centfamilies'ilies' perspectives and practices in the classroom and helping families have joyful experiences with mathematics at home.
