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
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