EMP Research Team

Dr. Chapin is Professor of Mathematics Education at Boston University. Her work covers the areas of gifted education, curriculum design, teacher professional development in mathematics, and teacher and student discourse in mathematics. As the principal investigator of the Elementary Mathematics Project, she is involved in all aspects of the project. Dr. Chapin is the senior author of Math Matters: Understanding the Math You Teach Grades K-8 (2006), a book designed to help teachers understand and teach to the “big” ideas in mathematics and a co-author of Classroom Discussions in Math (2013), that focuses on the role of classroom discourse in learning mathematics.  Her work on the Mentoring Mathematical Minds series (15 books for gifted students in grades 3 through 5) has won numerous “best curriculum” awards  from the National Association of Gifted Children.

Dr. Feldman is a clinical associate professor in the mathematics education program at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. He teaches undergraduate and graduate-level mathematics content courses for elementary school teachers and methods courses for secondary school math teachers. Dr. Feldman’s research focuses on characterizing pre-service elementary teachers’ mathematical knowledge, particularly related to elementary number theory and fractions. He also works on a multi-university research team examining the use of task design cycles to better construct and modify mathematical tasks for use in teacher education courses. Dr. Feldman is a Co-PI for the Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Mathematics Project (EMP) and the PI of a National Science Foundation Noyce grant.

Dr. Gibbons is an assistant professor of mathematics education at Boston University. Her research focuses on understanding teacher learning, understanding supports for teacher learning, and considering how schools can be reorganized to support teachers’ development. This work is informed by a vision of teaching mathematics that includes eliciting and building on children’s thinking as they attempt to solve challenging tasks, while holding children accountable to learning goals. She collaborates with a team of mathematics educators, practitioners, and leaders to design professional learning experiences for elementary mathematics teachers that support vibrant intellectual communities for both students and teachers. Prior to joining Boston University, Dr. Gibbons was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She worked as a math coach and upper elementary teacher in Lexington, KY.

Rae Starks Chaves is a fourth-year doctoral student at Boston University. She did her undergraduate work at Houghton College in New York state, and her master’s in mathematics education at Boston University. Subsequently, she taught math for six years in central and western Canada, then returned to BU to pursue an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching with a focus in mathematics education. Rae is a Glenn fellow, which gives her the opportunity to work on the Elementary Mathematics Project team – serving as a teaching assistant or instructor in EMP classes, revising EMP curriculum materials, liaising with field-testers, analyzing data, researching and writing with the team, and more – while taking courses toward her degree, and engaging in other academic activities. Rae is working on her dissertation, using EMP data, focusing on PTs’ knowledge of decimal concepts.

Lisa Nguyen Batista is a fourth grade teacher at an elementary school within Boston Public Schools district in Dorchester, MA. Lisa’s passion for math education is well known among staff and students, driving her ability to lead and support colleagues in math instruction for the past 11 years. She is dedicated to continuously improving her teaching practice and has earned her National Board Teaching certification. Lisa earned her Bachelors of Arts and her Masters in Education from University of California, San Diego. Lisa is currently a fifth year doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Teaching with an emphasis in Mathematics at Boston University.

Dr. Salinas  is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Boston University where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in mathematics content and methods. She was part of the Research Team during Phase II of the EMP project; Dr. Salinas was involved in the writing, revision, implementation, and analyses of the EMP curriculum units on Fractions, Number Theory and Geometric Measurement. Currently, Dr. Salinas contributes to PBS’s Ready to Learn initiative where she is developing professional development materials to help early childhood educators effectively implement technology into instruction using video games, multimedia, and interactive whiteboards.

Dr. Callis  is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at Curry College where she works with undergraduates preparing to become elementary school teachers or secondary mathematics teachers. She worked on Phase II of the EMP project while a doctoral student at Boston University. She was involved in the writing, revision, implementation, and analyses of the EMP curriculum units on Fractions, Number Theory and Geometric Measurement.

EMP Contributors

We wish to thank the following individuals and organizations who provided valuable support and consultation at various stages of the EMP project.

Graduate and Undergraduate Assistants: Robert Afonso; Christine Bodet; Jimmy Tsung-Han Weng; Caitlin Coyle; Julie Fiedler-Ross; Gina Sheehan; Karl Wilcox; Mariam Maloyan; Sabrina Riley; Andrew Richman; Melissa Vazquez-Aguilar; Violet Walsh; Elizabeth Hadden.

Web Designer & Developer: Scott McCarthy; David Scott Marshall

Online Teaching Consultant:  Dr. Melinda Knapp

Video Production: Fields of Vision.

Statistical Analyses: Words & Numbers Research, Inc.; Dr. Zhushan Mandy Li.

Project Advisors: Dr. Rebekah Elliott; Dr. Mark Hoover; Dr. Elham Kazemi; Dr. Ryota Matsuura; Dr. Lynn Hart, Dr. Eva Thanheiser.