Marcy Wood

Professional Title
Assistant Professor
Organization/Institution
About Me (Bio)
I am an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education. I received my Ph.D. in Teacher Education from Michigan State University in 2008.

My research interests arise from my experiences as a third and fourth grade teacher in Albuquerque, NM. I am curious about the mathematical learning of elementary students, and specifically students who have not yet been successful in mathematics classrooms. My current research uses the tools of discourse and identity to examine mathematical learning (or not) and to assist teachers in supporting the mathematical learning of their students. I also draw upon sociocultural theories, and cognitive theories, and conceptual metaphors as structures for understanding mathematical learning.

My teaching and research interests have led me to develop expertise in Complex Instruction (CI), a model for teaching developed by Elizabeth Cohen and Rachel Lotan at Stanford University. CI is a theoretical and practical framework for helping all students succeed in engaging rigorous mathematics. I work with preservice and inservice teachers to make sense of the theory and implement the tools of CI. I am currently working with several colleagues on a book about the use of CI to teach elementary mathematics.

I teach both graduate and undergraduate level courses at the university. I teach TTE 326, Teaching Mathematics in a Technologic Age. This course supports undergraduate preservice teachers in learning to teach mathematics. I also teach a variety of graduate level courses including Groupwork for Diverse Learners, Discourse and Identity, and Current Issues in Mathematics Education.

Last, but not least, I am interested raising educators’ awareness of the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, families, and colleagues in K-12 settings.
Keywords
University of Arizona (U of A)
09/01/2010

This project will implement and study a professional community designed to alleviate the mismatch between the expectations of student teachers in mathematics and science and their mentor in-service teachers. The project is creating a neutral forum for the exchange of perspectives on issues of pedagogy with the expectation that student teachers would implement inquiry-based science and problem-solving mathematics pedagogies with the knowledgeable support of their mentor teachers.

University of Arizona (U of A)
07/01/2019

This project will investigate the factors that influence curriculum coherence and how teachers in Grades 3-5 respond to these factors as they make decisions about their mathematics curriculum.

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. (UGARF)
08/01/2013

This working conference will help university professors who teach elementary mathematics methods courses learn to use Complex Instruction, a research-proven pedagogy for building mathematical content knowledge and supporting the learning of diverse students.