Martha Koch
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  • RESEARCH
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  • WORKING WITH EDUCATORS
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Through my research I hope to contribute to a better understanding of the activities educators engage in as they further develop their approaches to assessment and to mathematics teaching and learning.  I often draw on sociocultural theory and complexity science in my research. I design and conduct studies on topics such as: the collaborative inquiry process, teachers' classroom assessment practice, the validation of large-scale assessments used in classroom contexts, and teachers' contributions to curriculum design and development.  I am particularly interested in how each of these activities contribututes to more effective mathematics teaching and learning in Grades K-12 classrooms.

While I use a variety of research methods, much of my work involves case study, interviews, classroom observation, surveys and document analysis.  On occasion, I conduct studies as the sole investigator, but more often I work collaboratively with other researchers.  I have presented my work at many national and international conferences and published in a range of peer-reviewed journals.


I am currently engaged in several research projects including: a study of the experiences of secondary mathematics teachers as they engage in collaborative inquiry, the development of a dynamic, web-enabled mathematics curriculum resource and the development of an approach for validating a classroom-based, province-wide mathematics assessment.


Current Research

Launching a Dynamic Mathematics Curriculum Network: A Participatory Approach to Enhancing Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Martha Koch, Principal Investigator; Christine Suurtamm, Co-investigator


School-based Courses in Teacher Education: Navigating Hybrid Spaces
Martha Koch, Principal Investigator; Melanie Janzen, Co-investigator

Teaching Grade 9 Applied Mathematics: A Collaborative Inquiry
Christine Suurtamm, Principal Investigator; Martha Koch, Collaborator


Recent Projects

Mathematics Curriculum Review: Learning Trajectories to Inform Curriculum Design and Pedagogy Ontario Ministry of Education (Co-investigator)

Review of Teacher Collaborative Inquiry in Eastern Ontario from 2005-2012 
Ottawa Region MISA/PNC (Principal Investigator)

Supporting Teacher Collaboratiive Inquiry Projects
Ottawa Region MISA/PNC  (Consultant)


Research Affiliations

  • Canadian Assessment for Learning Network (CAfLN)  Website
  • Canadian Educational Researchers' Association (CERA)  Website
  • Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) Website
  • Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE)  Website
  • Mathematics Education Research Unit (MERU), University of Ottawa  Website
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)  Website
  • Promoting Inquiry: Research in Mathematics Education (Pi Lab), University of Ottawa  Website
© 2020 Martha Koch