Not a semester goes by that I don’t see some new and innovative way of thinking about a mathematical idea from my students. I’ve learned far more mathematics interacting with students than I have during my own personal, isolated studies.
Professor
Born and raised in Ohio, I attended The University of Akron from 2001-2006. When not spending my time on the golf course, I worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Mathematics. I grew curious about my students’ mathematical thinking when teaching as part of the assistantship duties. This curiosity landed me in the sunny state of Arizona at Arizona State University under the guidance of Professor Marilyn P. Carlson.
I immediately grew interested in the constructivist movement in mathematics education, and specifically the ability to take a scientific-inquiry approach to modeling students’ mathematical thinking that aligned with my applied mathematics/physics background. Since this initial interest, I have rooted myself with other researchers who participate in this progressive research program in the hopes of better understanding students’ mathematical thinking, improving the teaching and learning of mathematics, and opposing outcome-based forces in education.
Not a semester goes by that I don’t see some new and innovative way of thinking about a mathematical idea from my students. I’ve learned far more mathematics interacting with students than I have during my own personal, isolated studies. It is living the dream to have a field of teaching and research that allows me to build a career on learning mathematics through learning about and supporting my students’ mathematics.
I love to support students’ pursuits of their life and career goals. Each semester, I get to meet and learn from a new group of students, which always keeps things interesting and exciting. I am always energized by the passion and mission of our students, and there are few better feelings than working with them in order to prepare them to better reach and impact their students in the classroom. I also love teaching because each day is filled with questions, whether the questions are about inquiry into the discipline of mathematics or investigations into how students think about and learn mathematics.
“What radical constructivism may suggest to educators is this: the art of teaching has little to do with the traffic of knowledge, its fundamental purpose must be to foster the art of learning.”
I believe the fundamental purposes of education and schooling is to engender and support an orientation of critical inquiry. Thus, my teaching philosophy centers creating an environment of exploration, investigation, and curiosity. I believe every student has a mathematics of their own, and it is our job as educators to embrace and leverage that mathematics to support students’ learning. I seek to capitalize on students’ mathematics by engaging them in problems that they see as personally meaningful. The problems must also generate the need for constructing knowledge that is transformative for not only their personal mathematics, but also the mathematics they teach in the classroom. By working hand-in-hand with a community of students, we can collectively inquire into and solve these problems, while also reflecting on the ways in which their solutions better position us to reach and support K-12 students.
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”
First and foremost, I hope my students gain new and powerful perspectives on major K-12 mathematics ideas, including ways to support their students in engaging in those ideas. I also hope they gain firsthand experiences in wrestling with problems that are difficult, yet rewarding and meaningful. By fostering an environment of inquiry and curiosity, I hope that my students experience classes in which they are supported in asking difficult questions, pursuing solutions with an open mind, and reflecting on their problem-solving processes so as to transfer their knowledge from the University classroom to their personal classrooms. I hope that they experience class as a supportive space, with all difficulties and challenges being perceived as collective opportunities for growth and development.
I’m a big believer of life being for the purpose of engagement and experience. Thus, I balance my academic life with several other pursuits, which currently include traveling with my wife and playing semi-competitive amateur golf. There are few things that I will say no to trying at least once, and there are few places I would ever say no to visiting.
Learn more about Kevin C. Moore.