Our goal is to make a a difference in math student achievement. We conduct research to help improve student learning in math. Our mission is to help bridge research to practice so that we help teachers and school district.
DR. TERUNI LAMBERG, IS AN AUTHOR, A PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AND DIRECTOR OF NEVADA MATHEMATICS PROJECT STEM INITIATIVE
Meet Teruni Lamberg, Ph.D.
My mission is to help you support others to think, learn and be more creative.
When I was only 19 years old. I became a pre-school teacher in charge of a delightful group of children who loved coming to school. We had so much fun learning together and the classroom was a joyful place. I even had a huge group of parents who were my greatest supporters. So you can imagine my surprise when I was eventually told not to stimulate kid’s minds so much. I was told that I was changing the philosophy of the school and they let me go.
This is when my journey on education and understanding creativity began. I started to wonder why people did things that made no sense? I entered a teaching program and discovered that what I was doing was supported by research. I became an elementary teacher and as part of my master’s thesis, I studied creativity.
This was a passion of mine because I am also an artist and I love to paint. I was always intrigued by where ideas came from and how to generate ideas in a group setting. Understanding creativity is an important part of teaching as well as leading teams to innovate.
Fortunately, I had a wonderful experience teaching in Arizona as an elementary teacher at the Madison School District. My quest for knowledge resulted in me pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics education and completing a post-doctorate at Vanderbilt University.
When I did my post-doctorate I transitioned from being a classroom teacher to becoming a researcher and traveled across the country, working on a research project that involved supporting teachers. This is when I began to study business literature along with research in mathematics education.
My journey brought me to Nevada. I am a mathematics education professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. I ran the Nevada Mathematics Project a statewide project that involved representation from every single school district in Nevada and even included charter and private schools. I had to really think about leadership and develop skills along the way.
When I am not working I love spending time with my husband, son and our playful huskie. My hobbies include oil painting and hiking whenever I can find the time. The photo on this website is a picture of Lake Tahoe that I love. This is where I wrote my leadership books.
If you would like more information about my work :click on this link.
Click here to learn about what I am currently researching.
DIANA MOSS, PH.D
TEACHING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, rENO
My path to discovering my passion for teaching and learning mathematics was not linear. At University of Nevada, Reno, I completed a Bachelors of Arts in Mathematics with a minor in Spanish and was encouraged to pursue a Masters of Science in Mathematics. During this time, I worked as a teaching assistant and taught two college mathematics courses each semester. I realized that I understood the math, but it was challenging to teach and understand how students learn. After all, this was my first teaching experience.
Over the two-year Master’s program, I taught multiple math classes, including at the local community college, and began reading books about teaching and learning. Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, so I earned my teaching certificate and started my first job as a middle school math teacher. But, I wanted to learn more about how to teach so that my students would learn and be successful, so I continued taking education courses at University of Nevada, Reno and pursued my doctorate degree, where I met Teruni and Claudia. We formed a collaborative partnership and work together to support teachers through providing professional development on teaching and learning mathematics.
I am currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Nevada, Reno. My research focuses on understanding how children as well as pre-service and in-service teachers learn and make sense of mathematics. I am particularly interested in investigating middle grades students’ changing conceptions of variables in early formal algebra and the development of teachers’ instructional strategies for teaching and learning. My favorite activity is spending time with my family. I also enjoy snowboarding, snorkeling, and traveling.
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