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Professional commitments

I believe in Federico Ardila’s axioms:

Axiom 1. Mathematical talent is distributed equally among different groups, irrespective of geographic, demographic, and economic boundaries.

Axiom 2. Everyone can have joyful, meaningful, and empowering mathematical experiences.

Axiom 3. Mathematics is a powerful, malleable tool that can be shaped and used differently by various communities to serve their needs.

Axiom 4. Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

One of the most important things we can do is to make space for people who come together, listen, and speak — especially when we come from different perspectives. I am committed to finding ways for stakeholders to learn from each other, and to be open to learning from and interacting with math education practitioners worldwide.

JimFest: What, where, and for what purpose is the mathematics in mathematics teacher education? This conference held May 30, 2024-June 1, 2024 in honor of W. James Lewis was organized by Yvonne Lai, Allan Donsig, Elizabeth Lewis (no relation to Jim Lewis), Judy Walker, and Mark Walker. See our conference products!

• Working Principles and Metrics for Collaboration in Mathematics Teacher Education
• Conference Notebook
• Slides

SIG-MKT I was the founding chair of this 200+ organization of North American mathematics faculty invested in teacher education. One of our current initiatives is to hear from faculty from across this continent about their perspectives on being mathematics educators.

COMET As chair of the MAA Committee on the Mathematical Education of Teachers, my agenda included programming that educates the mathematical community on issues implicated by equity concerns, and advocating for the status of mathematics education/mathematics educators in mathematics departments.

CMESG/GCEDM I am a member of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group/Groupe Canadien d’Étude en Didactique des Mathématiques, a group that is inspiring to me in its inclusiveness.

ICME: International Congress on Mathematics Education This is a conference that happens every 4 years. In 2008, I was part of an NSF/NCTM study group that travelled to Monterrey, Mexico. Here is my personal report of what I learned from presenters who came from around the world. In 2012, I participated in TSG 24 on Mathematical knowledge for teaching at the secondary level, in Seoul, Korea. In 2016, Heather Howell, Geoff Phelps, and I presented our work on MKT at the secondary level to an international topic study group led by Ruhama Even (Weizmann Institute) and Xinrong Yang (Southwest University in Chongqing). In 2020, I participated in a discussion group on Roles for Mathematicians in Math Education led by Sol Friedberg (Boston College), Patricio Felmer (Universidad de Chile), Carlos Kenig (University of Chicago). JongHae Keum (Korea Institute for Advanced Study). and Jürg Kramer (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).

SIG-MKT/COMET Civil Discourse on Complex Issues. I am the lead organizer for this. Our inaugural seminar discussed the topic of tracking, and featured Thurston Domina, Dorothy Y. White, Brian R. Lawler, and Adrian B. Mims, Sr. I am taking suggestions for the topics for continuations of this seminar.

Mathematics Standards, Equity, Policy, and Politics | Jan 2023 | AMS Special Session at the JMM 2023. Organizers: Tyler Kloefkorn (co-lead), Yvonne Lai (co-lead), Dave Kung, Blain Patterson. This 15-hour session features speakers from TPSE, Algebra Project, and various projects focused on improving conditions for equitable instruction. Each block will conclude with a panel discussion focused on finding common ground and articulating future directions.

AMS CoE Forum on Evolving Curriculum in High School and Early Undergrad Math Sciences Education | May 2022 | The American Mathematical Society’s Committee on Education hosted an online forum on “Evolving Curriculum in High School and Early Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences Education,” on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. The discussion was moderated by Henry Cohn from Microsoft Research, Yvonne Lai from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Kate Stevenson from CSU Northridge.

Fields Institute Mathematics Education Forum | March 2021 | The Fields Institute Mathematics Education Forum, in Toronto, Canada, promotes discussion of issues in mathematics education at all levels. In 2021, Claudia Corriveau​ (Université Laval), Igor’ Kontorovich (University of Auckland), and I spoke on designing research studies in mathematics education.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: High School Task Force | 2017-2018 | As members of this task force, we produced Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations

Banff International Research Station: Mathematicians and School Mathematics Education: A Pan-American Workshop International problems with mathematics education in the pan-American region are well-document by international studies such as TIMSS and PISA, and have a profoundly limiting effect on economic growth and capacity for democratic citizenship. Solving these problems requires the collaboration of many communities, but in particular the
involvement of mathematicians is essential. I was a speaker at this workshop.

MIME Workshops: Mathematicians in Mathematics Education | 2011-2014 | Lead organizer, 2013-2014 with co-organizers William McCallum and Roger Howe. Moderator, 2011-2014. This workshop brings together mathematicians to learn with and from mathematics educators about urgent issues of mathematics education