About

ABOUT THIS BLOG

‘Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.’ E.B. White

I wonder a lot about mathematics teaching.

• I wonder how my students learn.
• I wonder how to best help my students learn.
• I wonder how to help others to best help their students learn.

I wonder often how to orient students towards the creative, active and collaborative ways in which professional mathematicians work.

I also wonder a lot at mathematics—its beauty; its interconnectedness.

The world of mathematics is filled with a lot of wonders!

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ABOUT ME

I am a Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of South Australia (UniSA).

I started at UniSA as an undergraduate student, and never left (except for one semester overseas). I completed a PhD in Mathematics at UniSA, while also taking my first steps in teaching and in outreach. Some of this story is told in my maths autobiography. In 2023, after spending nearly 15 years in academic positions in mathematics, I took up a role as Professor of Mathematics Education.

My mathematics research focused mainly on practical industry-inspired challenges, mostly in railways. I explained some of my research using only the most common ‘ten hundred’ words in this post. You can also watch the video from #SciPubMath at the bottom of this post.

My mathematics education research has two main themes:

1. How can we develop mathematical thinking and authentic mathematical practices (such as problem solving, reasoning and communication) within mathematics curriculum, pedagogy and assessment? And what impact does it have on teachers’ and on students’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and mathematical thinking?
2. How can we better support pre- and in-service teacher development in mathematics through professional learning, mentoring, and reflective practice?

My academic papers are listed on Google Scholar. You can also look around my academic web page.

You can tweet me at @nomad_penguin. You can also find me on bluesky at @nomadpenguin.bsky.social