Mathew D. Felton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
 |
Office: Math 708
Email: mdfelton@math.arizona.edu
Phone: 520-621-6857
Fax: 520-621-8322
Department of Mathematics
The University of Arizona
617 N. Santa Rita Ave.
PO Box 210089
Tucson, AZ 85721-0089 |
Research
My research interests focus on pre- and in-service teacher
knowledge, conceptions, and beliefs about mathematics education,
primarily in the elementary grades. In particular, I focus on teachers'
views of mathematics as a social and political activity including the
role of diversity in mathematics, using mathematics to investigate
issues of social justice, and how the teaching and learning of
mathematics sends messages about issues of race, culture, class,
gender, and other markers of difference in our society.
Current Projects
Arizona Master Teachers of Mathematics (Noyce Master Teacher program), Principal Investigator
We are working with a cohort of 14 teachers (primarily grades
3-6) in the Tucson area over a period of 4 years to develop
greater leadership and expertise in elementary mathematics education.
As a part of the gant the teachers participate in professional
development during the school year and summer focusing on mathematics
knowledge for teaching, pedagogy, research in mathematics education,
and leadership training.
Co-PIs:
Rebecca McGraw,
Erin Turner,
Marcy Wood
Project Manager:
Mary Bouley
Project Evaluator: Melissa Page
Publications
Koestler, C., Felton,
M. D., Bieda, K., & Otten, S. (in preparation). Connecting the NCTM process standards and the Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics practice to improve instruction. Reston, VA:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Felton, M. D.,
& Koestler, C. (in preparation). Supporting prospective teachers’ critical
reflection in mathematics teacher education. In R. Flessner, G. Miller, K.
Patrizio, & J. Horwitz (Eds.), Agency
in Teacher Education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Felton, M. D.,
Simic-Muller, K., & Menéndez, J. M. (in press). “Math isn’t just numbers or
algorithms”: Mathematics for social justice in preservice K-8 content courses.
In L. Jacobsen, J. Mistele, & B. Sriraman (Eds.), Mathematics Teacher Education in the Public Interest. Charlotte,
NC: Information Age Pub.
Knuth, E.,
Kalish, C., Ellis, A., Williams, C., & Felton, M. (in press). Adolescent
reasoning in mathematical and non-mathematical domains: Exploring the paradox.
To appear in V. Reyna, S. Chapman, M. Dougherty, & J. Confrey (Eds.), The adolescent brain: Learning, reasoning,
and decision making. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Millar, T.,
& Felton, M. D. (2011). The SCALE project: Field notes on a mathematics
reform effort. In W. F. Tate, C. R. Anderson, & K. King (Eds.), Disrupting tradition: Pathways for research
and practice in mathematics education (pp. 119-132). Reston, VA: National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics.
Felton, M. D. (2010).
Is math politically neutral? Teaching
Children Mathematics, 17(2), 60-63.
Felton, M. D.,
& Nathan, M. (2009). Exploring Sfard’s commognitive framework: A review of Thinking as Communicating: Human
Development, the Growth of Discourses, and Mathematizing. Journal for Research in Mathematics
Education, 5(40), 571-576.
Felton, M.
(2007, April). Context and preservice teachers’ conceptions of proof. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the
North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of
Mathematics Education (29th, Lake Tahoe, Nevada).
Conference Presentations
Research Conferences
Felton, M. D., Simic-Muller, K., &
Menéndez, J. M. (2012, February). Challenges
and successes in teaching mathematics as sociopolitical in preservice K-8
content courses. Talk given at the annual meeting of the Association of Mathematics
Teacher Educators, Fort Worth, TX.
Bieda, K.,
& Felton, M. (2011, April). Towards a practice-based focus on the
teaching of reasoning and proof. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
Felton, M. (2011, April). Taking a social and political view of
mathematics in content courses for pre-service K-8 teachers. Paper
presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, New Orleans, LA.
Koestler, C.,
& Felton, M. (2010, January). Supporting prospective teachers in
understanding issues of equity, diversity and social justice in mathematics
education. Talk given at the annual meeting of the Association of
Mathematics Teacher Educators, Irvine, CA.
Felton, M. (2007, October). Context and preservice teachers’ conceptions
of proof. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the North American
Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education,
Lake Tahoe, NV.
Felton, M. (2007, April). Pre-service teachers’ conceptions of proof
while reflecting on student work. Poster presented at the annual meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Professional Talks
Courtney, K., & Felton, M. D. (2011, April). Supporting active and engaged teachers:
Social justice in teacher education. Talk given at the 5th
Annual Social Justice Symposium at The University of Arizona, Tucson.
Practitioner Oriented Conferences
Felton, M.D. (2011, January). Income inequity in the U.S.: Math as a tool
for understanding our world. Talk given at the annual Mathematics Educator
Appreciation Day Conference or the Center for Recruitment and Retention of
Mathematics Teachers at The University of Arizona at Tucson, AZ.
Koestler, C.,
& Felton, M. D. (2010, October).
An introduction to Cognitively Guided
Instruction: A problem solving approach to teaching elementary mathematics.
Talk given at the annual meeting of the Arizona Association of Teachers of
Mathematics, Phoenix, AZ.
Jenkins, M.,
& Felton, M. (2004, May). Learning geometry through quilting. Talk
given at the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Mathematics Council, Green Lake,
WI.
Jenkins, M.,
Michaels, D., Yttri, J., & Felton,
M. (2003, May). Quilting:
Transformational geometry and symmetry. Talk given at the annual meeting of
the Wisconsin Mathematics Council, Green Lake, WI.