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 Adelaide University, where I’m also Dean Academic for the College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences.

I came to mathematics education by way of mathematics. I started at the University of South Australia (UniSA) as an undergraduate student and stayed on to do a PhD in Mathematics, taking my first steps in teaching and outreach along the way. Some of that story is in my maths autobiography. I then spent nearly 15 years in academic positions in mathematics, working on practical industry-inspired problems, mostly in railways. I explained some of that 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. In 2023, after spending nearly 15 years in academic positions in mathematics, I took up a role as Professor of Mathematics Education.

These days my research wonders about:

1. Mathematical play. What it looks like when people play with mathematics, and what that play does for how they think, feel and learn.
2. Authentic mathematical practice. How problem solving, reasoning and communication can be developed within curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, and what difference that makes for students and teachers.
3. Supporting teachers. How professional learning, mentoring and reflective practice help pre-service and in-service teachers develop in mathematics.

I’m also part of MathQuEST, an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence, where I work on outreach and education.

My academic papers are on Google Scholar, and my academic web page is here. You can find me on Bluesky at @nomadpenguin.bsky.social.