Category: STEM

Walkington Examines Impact of Readability Factors in Solving Mathematics Word Problems

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In the latest American Education Research Journal, Assistant Professor Candace Walkington and two co-authors use 20 years of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to look at readability factors in mathematics word problems.

Walkington and colleagues analyze length, word difficulty, and pronouns. They also interact with student background characteristics—such as race/ethnicity, mathematics achievement, and socioeconomic status. Textual features that make problems more difficult to process appear to differentially negatively impact struggling students, while features that make language easier to process appear to differentially positively impact struggling students.

 

Ketterlin Geller and Perry Receive $2.5M from NSF to Measure Early Math Skills

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With a $2.5M grant from the National Science Foundation, Professor Leanne Ketterlin Geller and researcher Lindsey Perry, Ph.D. are developing math assessment tools to measure mathematical reasoning skills for K-2.

Few assessments are currently available to measure the critical math concepts taught during those early school years, Ketterlin Geller said. Read more.

Ketterlin Geller is Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education. Perry received her Ph.D. in 2016 from SMU Simmons. Her dissertation is based on the mathematical constructs highlighted in this grant.

Texas Tribune Conducts Q&A with Candace Walkington about Teaching Math

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Candace Walkington, assistant professor in Simmons, conducts research on connecting students to algebra.

The Texas Tribune interviewed Assistant Professor Candace Walkington in Teaching and Learning about her research looking at engaging ways to teach math in grades 6-10. She notes that during these grades students find it difficult to get motivated to learn math. The Q&A, where she is highlighted, is a weekly feature for Trib+Edu. Read the complete interview here. 

Simmons Faculty Highlights Math in Everyday Life

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Three Simmons professors from the Department of Teaching and Learning participated in the launch of  walkSTEM, a program conducted in the Dallas Arts District during the Pi Day Math Festival on March 14.

Drs. Dara Rossi, Candace Walkington, and Annie Wilhelm helped students, teachers, and families from the Dallas-Fort Worth area understand real-life applications of mathematics. They were a part of the organizer’s efforts, talkStem, to make instruction relevant and engaging. Click here to view SMU’s Mustang Minute.