Professor and Undergraduate, Graduate Researchers Collaborate on Leveraging Reasoning in Elementary Math Classrooms

Dr. Cory A. Bennett, professor of mathematics education in the College of Education recently presented with two of his students on a collaborative research project focused on strengthening elementary students’ mathematical reasoning. Dr. Bennett along with JadaLin Church, an undergraduate elementary education student who is also in the ISU Honors program, and Mick Morgan, a graduate student and fourth grade teacher from Jefferson Elementary School in the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District, presented findings and instructional strategies from their joint research project at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference.

While Bennett has independently worked with both Church and Morgan on other projects, this was their first joint research project.

“It was so much fun working with both an undergraduate and graduate level research student at the same time,” commented Bennett.

“Each person brought something different to the project and thus collectively made it so much better,” added Church.

Morgan, no stranger to presenting to large national audiences, stated, “It was a full house during the presentation and so many people came up to talk with us afterwards. It is kind of cool to think that a fourth grade teacher and a college student from Pocatello could help other teachers from across the country think about changes to their own classroom.”

NCTM is the leading mathematics teacher organization in the world with approximately 150,000 members and this will be the third time Bennett and Morgan have presented together at this prestigious event and the second time Church has presented at a national conference.

“In a way, this was the perfect research project because it showcased the knowledge, expertise and professionalism we nurture in both our undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education,” said Bennett. “It still impresses me the caliber of scholars we get to work with in Southeast Idaho,” he added, “and the impact these people have in our local communities and classrooms.”