Dr. James Hiebert, who is internationally recognized for his research comparing mathematics education in the United States with mathematics curriculum and instruction in other countries, will speak at California State University, Fresno on Friday and Saturday (March 19 and 20).
The mathematics-teaching expert is the Robert J. Barkley Professor of Education at the University of Delaware, where he teaches in programs of teacher preparation, professional development and doctoral studies.
More than 150 educational leaders from the Central Valley have signed up for the two events, which are sold out, said Dr. Carol Fry Bohlin, a mathematics education professor in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State.
The sessions will be held on Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Kremen Education Building, Room 140 and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Smittcamp Alumni House.
Hiebert’s visit to Fresno, his only stop in California on his speaking circuit this year, is presented by the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project and the Fresno County Office of Education with the support of several area school districts. SJVMP is now in its 15th year of providing professional development for more than 1,000 K-12 mathematics educators.
Bohlin said Hiebert will provide local educators unique insights into the acclaimed Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Video Studies commissioned by the National Center for Educational Statistics.
He will share the results and implications of the TIMSS video studies that include the most recent findings of comparing teaching practices in 8th-grade mathematics classrooms in the United States, Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“One major goal of the study has been to examine the practices of countries that score significantly higher than the United States on international assessments to see what lessons U.S. teachers can learn in order to increase student achievement in this important subject,” Bohlin said.
An article that Hiebert co-authored with Jim Stigler on the video studies, “Improving Mathematics Teaching,” is available in this month’s issue of Educational Leadership.
One of Hiebert’s books, “The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World’s Teachers for Improving” will be provided for every participant at Saturday’s event.
On Friday, the topic will be “Improving Mathematics Classroom Teaching: Lessons from the TIMSS
Video Studies” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 140 of the Kremen Education Building on campus.
All participants will receive the book, “Helping Children Learn Mathematics; Educational Leadership”
focusing on mathematics and science education as well as autographed bookplates.
On Saturday, a discussion forum with the topic, “Exploring Ways to Enrich Classroom Mathematics Teaching,” will focus on the latest research on teaching K-12 mathematics.
It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State.
Hiebert’s appearance in Fresno is a homecoming of sorts. He earned his teaching credential from
Fresno State and taught math at Clovis High for two years. His parents still reside in Fresno.
His professional interests focus on mathematics teaching and learning in classrooms.
He has edited books on students’ mathematics learning and co-authored the books “Making Sense:
Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Understanding” and “The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the
World’s Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom.”
He recently served on the National Research Council committee that produced “Adding It Up and Helping Children Learn Mathematics;” is the director of the mathematics portion of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study; and is principal investigator on the NSF-funded Mid-Atlantic Center for Teaching and Learning Mathematics.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics at Fresno Pacific, taught mathematics in high school and earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Mathematics Department at Fresno State and the Fresno, Madera, Central and Visalia Unified School Districts are co-sponsors of the events along with the Kremen School of Education and Human Development and the Fresno County Office of Education.
Fresno State President John D. Welty will provide the opening welcome.
For more information, contact Bohlin at (559) 278-0237 or carolb@csufresno.edu
