I draw on ideas from sociolinguistics and discourse literatures to research written curriculum and classroom discourse practices as well as the professional development of secondary mathematics teachers. I am especially interested in issues of equity that concern authority, positioning, and voice in mathematics classrooms and professional development. Much of this work has been done in collaboration with colleagues and graduate students in the US and Canada. Findings have been published in national and international journals, including Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Educational Studies in Mathematics, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, Mathematics Teacher, and Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. I have also co-edited three research volumes: Mathematics teachers at work: Connecting curriculum materials and classroom instruction (with Janine Remillard & Gwendolynn Lloyd), Equity in discourse for mathematics education: Theories, practices, and policies (with Jeffrey Choppin, David Wagner, and David Pimm), and Discourse that breaks barriers and create space for marginalized learners (with Roberta Hunter, Marta Civil, Nuria Planas, and David Wagner).
Increased focus on school accountability and teacher performance measures have resulted in STEM instruction that emphasizes content and procedural knowledge over critical thinking and real-world applications. Yet, critical thinking and application are essential in developing functional scientific literacy skills among students. This need is perhaps most pressing in economically depressed urban settings. One strategy to promote STEM engagement and learning is to make clear and meaningful connections between STEM concepts, principles, and STEM-related issues relevant to the learner. Socioscientific issues (SSI) and the Social Justice STEM Pedagogies (SJSP) framework can provide a powerful avenue for promoting the desired kinds of engagement. This collaborative research project is designed to investigate the effectiveness of a professional development (PD) program for STEM teachers to develop their pedagogical content knowledge in teaching SSI and SJSP.