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Name, Position, Affiliation Information

Amy Ray, Assistant Professor

Mathematics and Statistics Department

Sam Houston State University

 

Main Duties

I teach mathematics content courses for future elementary, middle grades, and secondary teachers. I also teach a graduate level problem solving course for our MA in mathematics program. My research focuses on mathematics instruction, curriculum, and assessment developments aimed at broadening what it means to know and do mathematics as well as demonstrate mathematical understanding. Currently, I am exploring the role of student work as an instructional and assessment tool to promote, teach, and assess the mathematical practice of critiquing the reasoning of others.

 

Recent Accomplishments

·         Published in Journal of College Reading and Learning (accepted), Investigations in Mathematics Learning (2021), and School Science and Mathematics Association (2020).

·         Invited teaching demonstrations at the Engaging Exploration Workshop for the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE). Huntsville, TX: Sam Houston State University, Summer 2022.

·         Early Career Faculty Research Grant ($1000), Conceptualizing “Others” in Student Work Tasks: Exploring Whose Mathematical Reasoning is Evident in Curriculum Materials for Elementary PSTs, Southwest Educational Research Association (SERA), 2022 – 2023.

·         Invited talk, Leveraging student work to make algebra meaningful, at the VCU Math Ed Seminar. Online: Virginia Commonwealth University. February 2021.

·         SHSU Teaching Innovation Grant ($11,000), A Group of Mathematics Educators at SHSU Enacting Pedagogical Change in the Math/Math Ed Course Sequence for Pre-service Elementary Teachers, PACE Engaging Classrooms QEP, Sam Houston State University, 2021 – 2022.

·         Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching, Sam Houston State University, College of Education, 2020.

 

Service to SSMA and Other Professional Organizations

I learned about SSMA when I began my first faculty position at SHSU in 2018. Since then, I have presented at every annual conference since 2018, served as a reviewer for the SSMA Conference Proceedings since 2019, and reviewed for the SSMA journal since 2021. Also, I served as a member on the Finance Committee from 2019 to 2022.

 

For other professional organizations, I have served as the treasurer for the Upsilon Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) at SHSU since 2020. During my time in the College of Education at SHSU, I served as the mathematics faculty representative for both Deans for Impact and US PREP initiatives involving many stakeholders across multiple universities engaged in curriculum reform in educator preparation programs from 2020 to 2021. Since 2020, I have reviewed manuscripts for the Early Childhood Teacher Education journal.

 

Vision for SSMA

In considering the vision of SSMA of tomorrow, I posit that the goals of SSMA can be further extended by identifying and strengthening the connections that exist among the members and networks represented in our organization. I am encouraged by the recent inclusion of the Innovation to Practice section in the SSMA journal. This move highlights the importance of utilizing rigorous research to inform innovative practice in the context of STEM education and connecting stakeholders across the broader fields of science and mathematics education. I suggest SSMA consider other ways of leveraging the expertise of our membership, connecting resources to needs, and fostering smaller communities of practice within our organization to help advance STEM education. I am excited about the possibility of engaging more intentionally in this work, and I look forward to continued scholarship and service with the SSMA community.