Who We Are

The Loras College Division of Education had its last state visit in the fall of 1999. According to the exit summary that was prepared by the state team (chaired by Sandra Renegar), “This approval visit yielded a rare result. Loras College met all standards reviewed by the team.” Strengths cited included leadership at all levels in the education department, quality of the education faculty, and the close working relationship between the education department and other departments that work with education students.

The Loras College Division of Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science has had a long history of supporting K-12 teachers and efforts to reform Mathematics Curricula and Instruction. In March of 2004 Loras College hosted the fifth and final national meeting of the NSF-AMS Mathematicians for Education Reform (MER) project (based in the Math Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago).

Dan Willis is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Loras College. Dan has a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Iowa. In 2001 Dan attended a weeklong workshop (funded by MAA and NSF) on the Mathematical Preparation of Elementary School Teachers at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. He served for two years on the Iowa Mathematics Content Network, looking at Math Ed Research for the Iowa State Department of Education. Dan is an active member of the group (funded by a grant from the Regents Academy) that is working to update the Iowa state requirements for pre-service Elementary Education majors. He is co-PI (with Rob Keller) on a grant that Loras College recently received from the PMET (Preparing Mathematicians to Education Teachers) project, funded by MAA and NSF. The PMET grant will support efforts at Loras College to improve Math content courses for pre service Elementary Education majors. We hope that those efforts will result in a significant minority of those students completing the 24 credit K-6 Iowa Math Endorsement. Dan’s interests include elementary-school mathematics, problem-solving, Direct Instruction, teaching with technology, and lesson study. He was co-director of the Lesson Study Pilot project hosted at Loras College. He has done lesson study work with teachers and principals in Dubuque, Maquoketa, Ottumwa, Welton, Muscatine, Chicago, and Greenwich, Connecticut. A copy of his curriculum vitae can be found in Appendix C.

Chris Nugent is Mathematics Instructional Strategist for DCSD and an Adjunct Professor of Education at Loras College. She is a Board-Certified Elementary School teacher. Chris has a Master’s degree in Middle Level Education from the University of Northern Iowa, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Northern Iowa. In 2002 Chris won the Iowa Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. For 15 years Chris taught 5th and 6th grade at Fulton School, a Title I school in Dubuque. Her current job includes answering teacher questions, providing support, and teaching demonstration lessons. She is a freelance consultant and trainer for Kendall-Hunt, the publisher of Math Trailblazers, a standards-based elementary school textbook series that is published in Dubuque. Chris wrote an article on problem-solving that will be published in a forthcoming issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. She also authored a chapter on teachers engaged in inquiry into mathematics practice in a book to be published by NCTM next year. Chris has taught the Elementary Math Methods course at Loras College since 1997. Chris was co-director of the Lesson Study Pilot Project. She has worked with Lesson Study groups in Dubuque and Chicago. A copy of her curriculum vitae can be found in Appendix C.

Dr. Akihiko Takahashi is one of the top experts on lesson study in the United States. For 20 years, Dr. Takahashi taught elementary school and middle school in Japan before coming to the United States to complete a Ph.D. in Math Education at the University of Illinois. Dr. Takahashi has worked with hundreds of lesson study groups in Japan and the United States. Dr. Takahashi is on the faculty of DePaul University in Chicago, and leads the Chicago Lesson Study Project. Dr. Takahashi was in Dubuque four times during the Spring of 2004. He gave the keynote address and led two research lessons here at the Lesson Study Fair in May 2004. He will be one of the two keynote speakers at the ICTM meeting in Ankeny on 2/19/05.

Sandi Campie is Elementary Math and Science Consultant for the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (AEA9). Previously she spent five years organizing and teaching in the elementary gifted education program in the Clinton Schools. She received an endorsement in Gifted Education from the University of Northern Iowa. She completed a master’s degree (in Effective Teaching and Leadership) at Drake University in 1991. She is currently the lead teacher for the Elementary School Math initiative in Iowa, Every Student Counts. Sandi has worked with lesson study groups in Dubuque, North Scott, Welton, Muscatine, and Chicago. Sue Runyon is Math Consultant for Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA1). She has a Master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and is a former junior high school teacher at the Price Lab school at UNI. Sue has served for three years on the Mathematics Content Network. Sue has done professional development work in Iowa, Germany, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.

Robert Keller is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Loras College. Rob has a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina. With Joyce Becker from Luther College, Rob led efforts (funded by a grant from the Regents Academy) to update state requirements for pre-service Math (Secondary) Education majors. Rob recently joined the group that is working on state requirements for pre-service Elementary Education majors. He has led workshops for Dubuque teachers on Discovering Algebra, a standards-based beginning algebra series for high school students. Rob is lead PI on the Loras College PMET grant (described above).

Marlene Pinzka, OSF, is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Loras College. Marlene has a Ph.D. in Math Education from the University of Minnesota. She has led workshops in Dubuque, Minneapolis, and Bogota, Columbia on standards-based curriculum and instruction. She is currently a member of the Iowa Mathematics Content Network.

Linda Munger has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Iowa State University. Linda is an experienced teacher and professional development consultant. She has done extensive work facilitating and evaluating professional development initiatives in Iowa and many other states. Linda is Past President and current Executive Director of the Iowa Staff Development Council.

Drew Sodey is the student worker for the Loras Lesson Study Program. He will enter his senior year at Loras College in the fall of 2005 and is a double major in Mathematics and Secondary Education.

During the first three years of our project, project planning and oversight has been provided by a loose-knit “executive committee,” that includes Loras College faculty and administrators, Dubuque Community School district administrators and teachers, Dubuque Holy Family administrators and teachers, and Math instructional staff in AEA1 and AEA9. Ongoing planning efforts are carried out through face-to-face meetings, email, phone calls, and ICN sessions. Some of our more recent collaborative planning efforts are documented in Appendix A.
 

Revised 6/24/2005