Christian Hirsch

Professional Title
Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education
Organization/Institution
Western Michigan University (WMU)
About Me (Bio)
Christian Hirsch is a Professor of Mathematics at Western Michigan University. He holds a M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. His research interests include secondary school mathematics curriculum design and development, the impact of innovative curricula on student learning, and the use of innovative curriculum materials as a context for teacher learning. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Board of Directors of the School Science and Mathematics Association. Dr. Hirsch was a member of NCTM’s first Commission on Standards for School Mathematics and chaired the Grades 9-12 Working Group for the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. Since 1992, he has been Principal Investigator for the Core-Plus Mathematics Project, a high school curriculum development and research project, funded by the National Science Foundation. He is also Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum, which is supported by the NSF under the former Centers for Learning and Teaching Program. Chris recently received a new DR K-12 award to design, develop, and evaluate the efficacy of Transition to College Mathematics and Statistics—a fourth-year Common Core State Standards-oriented course for college-bound non-STEM students. He is also currently directing the NSF-funded Core math Tools project,
Personal Website
http://www.wmich.edu/cpmp/tcms
http://www.mathcurriculumcenter.org/
http://www.nctm.org/coremathtools
Keywords
Curriculum

Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum

University of Missouri
01/01/2004

This project will advance the research base and leadership capacity supporting K-12 mathematics curriculum design, analysis, implementation and evaluation. It will serve the K-12 educational community by focusing scholarly inquiry and professional development around the issues of mathematics curriculum, examining and characterizing their role and influence on both teaching and student learning. The Center will test strategies and produce new knowledge about the impact of curriculum materials on student and teacher learning.

Core Math Tools

Western Michigan University (WMU)
01/15/2012

This project is developing Core Math Tools, a suite of Java-based software including a computer algebra system (CAS), interactive geometry, statistics, and simulation tools together with custom apps for exploring specific mathematical or statistical topics. Core Math Tools is freely available to all learners, teachers, and teacher educators through a dedicated portal at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) web site.

Transition to College Mathematics and Statistics

Western Michigan University (WMU)
09/01/2010

This project will develop a mathematics course for the fourth year of high school. The new course is being designed for students who will enter post-secondary education and will major in programs not requiring Calculus. The new course includes mathematics from a problem-solving or applications perspective, and serves as a bridge to college mathematics and statistics. Unit topics include functions, modeling, algebraic strategies, binomial distributions, and information processing.