The Pennsylvania State University

College of Education

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

 

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

 

Position Available:  Associate or Assistant Professor in Mathematics Education

 

Beginning:  Fall Semester 2007, negotiable.

 

Appointment conditions:

           This is a tenure track, 36 week appointment with the possibility of supplementary summer appointments in research and/or teaching.  Salary is commensurate with education and experience; full University benefits apply.  Penn State has a strong commitment to the diversity of its workforce.  We encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds.

 

Responsibilities:

           The Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education seeks an individual with scholarly interests and expertise in mathematics education for a tenure-track appointment at the Associate or Assistant Professor level.  This position will have a focus on mathematics teaching and learning at the PreK-6 level.  This position offers opportunities to contribute to the development of high quality scholarship and programs in mathematics education.  The candidate should have an interest in and preparation for offering graduate courses that will enhance the research capabilities of students in mathematics education and undergraduate courses in PreK-6 mathematics education.  Primary responsibilities include:

·         Engaging in research, writing, and other scholarly activities in mathematics education.;

·         Teaching undergraduate mathematics teaching and learning courses and advising prospective PreK-6 school teachers;

·         Teaching graduate courses in mathematics education, supervising mathematics education master’s and doctoral students’ programs and research, serving on the committees of other doctoral students, and supervising graduate assistants;

·         Pursuing individually or with others relevant externally funded research, curriculum development, teacher education, and/or evaluation opportunities in mathematics education;

·         Contributing to the further development of the department, its programs, and the Mathematics Education Emphasis Area; and

·         Providing service, outreach, and leadership to the University, educational institutions, agencies, and professional organizations and learned societies.

 

Required qualifications (commensurate with experience):

·         Earned doctorate in mathematics education or a related field with a mathematics education focus, and a strong academic record (strong candidates may be considered who will complete their doctorate during the 2007-2008 academic year);

·         Evidence of a commitment to developing a significant program of research in an area of mathematics education;

·         Evidence of a strong background in mathematics as appropriate for the individual’s scholarship and teaching responsibilities;

·         Record of effective, significant mathematics teaching at the PreK-12 or collegiate level;

·         Evidence of a commitment to excellence in teaching and advising including the use of state-of-the-art technology; and

·         Evidence of a commitment to working collegially and with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

 

Desirable qualifications:

·         Research focus in or related to PreK-6 mathematics education;

·         Potential for national/international leadership in mathematics education;

·         Experience with funded projects commensurate with experience; and

·         Knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

 

The Pennsylvania State University

           Penn State [http://www.psu.edu] is a comprehensive, multi-campus research university serving all regions of the Commonwealth, as well as the nation and the world in instruction, research, and service roles that require responsiveness to and support from society's public and private sectors.  As a land-grant university, Penn State has responsibility for providing a wide array of programs in the professional and technical disciplines, as well as a balanced offering of undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and sciences.  Penn State shares with other major research universities the traditional responsibilities to discover, develop, preserve, and disseminate knowledge.

 

The College of Education

           The College of Education [http://www.ed.psu.edu] at Penn State was established in 1923 to deepen and extend knowledge about the formation and utilization of human capabilities.  It offers resident degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as an extensive outreach effort aimed at continuing professional development for educators at distant locations.  The College's research program is also extensive and College faculty members secured $29 million in external support during the past three years from a wide range of national and state government agencies, private foundations, and corporations.  The College's location within a large, research oriented, land-grant university provides numerous opportunities for studying education from multidisciplinary perspectives in the context of a university-wide commitment to making life better for all citizens.

 

           The College houses five academic departments:  Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology and Rehabilitation Services; Curriculum and Instruction; Education Policy Studies; Educational and School Psychology and Special Education, and Learning and Performance Systems.  The departments offer six undergraduate majors to more than 2,870 students and 13 graduate programs, under authority of the Graduate School, to more than 1,213 students.  Recent surveys rank the Penn State College of Education among the top colleges, schools, and departments of education in the United States.

 

The Mathematics Education Emphasis Area:

 

         Current research and development activities in mathematics education at Penn State are diverse, and the faculty is committed to the improvement of mathematics education through disciplined scholarship and research.  Currently, three projects funded by the National Science Foundation support these efforts: the Exploratory Analysis of Mathematics Learning project, the Research on Technology and the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics project, and the Mid-Atlantic Center for Mathematics Teaching and Learning.  The Mid-Atlantic Center, the first Center for Mathematics Teaching and Learning funded by the National Science Foundation, is a collaborative project with the mathematics education faculties at the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware.  Its components at Penn State include the development of, and research on, mathematical and pedagogical knowledge of prospective and in-service secondary mathematics teachers.  Mathematics Education faculty are active in leadership roles in the field.  Penn State faculty have assumed leadership roles for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America, state mathematics organizations, and the AERA Special Interest Group for Research in Mathematics Education.  They are active scholars having served, for example, on the writing team for NCTM’s Principles and Standards, on steering committees for NAEP, and as head of the writing team for NCTM’s Essential Understandings. There are over 20 doctoral students in Mathematics Education Emphasis Area, most in residence. The Mathematics Education faculty includes:

 

Glen Blume - Dr. Blume's principal research focus is on technology and mathematics teaching and learning. He is co-Principal Investigator for the Research on Technology and the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics project and senior faculty associate for the Mid-Atlantic Center.

 

M. Kathleen Heid– Recently named Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Education, Dr. Heid’s principal research and curriculum development interest center on the impact of technology on the teaching and learning of mathematics the learning of mathematics at the secondary and early college levels, and the mathematical knowledge of secondary teachers. She is co-Principal Investigator for National Science Foundation projects on internationally focused research syntheses, and the Mid-Atlantic Center. She is Editor-Elect for the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.

 

Martin Simon – Dr. Simon's current research focuses on understanding the processes by which mathematics students learn through their own activity. His past research focused primarily on the development of mathematics teachers (pre-service and in-service) consistent with recent reform principles.  He is currently the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation research grant, Exploratory Analysis of Mathematics Learning.

 

Rose Mary Zbiek – In addition to interest in mathematical modeling, Dr. Zbiek’s current research blends a focus on the mathematical understandings of secondary mathematics teachers with a concentration in classroom use of mathematics technology.  She is senior faculty associate for the Mid-Atlantic Center.  She is editor of Essential Understandings, a 16-book series on the mathematical content for teachers in Grades PreK-12 to be published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

 

Application procedures:

           Applicants must submit letter of application documenting qualifications for the position, current curriculum vitae, copies of official undergraduate and graduate transcripts (where appropriate), up to three representative reprints or preprints of scholarly publications (if available), and at least three names, mail and e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of academic references.  Applications received by December 1, 2006, are assured full consideration; however, applications will be received until the position is filled.  Send all materials to:

 

Dr. Rose Mary Zbiek

Mathematics Education Search Committee Chair

The Pennsylvania State University

270 Chambers Building, Box CH

University Park, PA   16802

 

                                              Penn State is committed to affirmative action,

                                         equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce.