Contact:
[email] rozy <at> berkeley <dot> edu
About Me: I am a doctoral candidate in the Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) at the University of California, Berkeley. I hold a B.A. and M.A. in mathematics from the California State University, Fresno.
Research Interests: My current research interests pertain to how middle school students make sense of rational numbers using representations (hand-on manipulative as well as computer-based tools) designed to build on and extend their understanding of mathematics. I believe, like many others, that the use of representations can support the development of students? deep understanding of mathematics. However, fostering such development requires consideration of students? prior understanding, understanding that is situated in particular activity structures that are socially, culturally, and historically constructed by students, both individually as well as collectively. In order to tease apart these understandings and explore the mechanisms by which they develop, I draw on a mixed methods approach grounded in design-based research. The knowledge in pieces perspective (diSessa, 1988) and the form-function framework (Saxe, 2004) together constitute my theoretic and analytic orientation. Implications for classroom practice are considered with an eye toward fostering diversity and equity in mathematics education. In future work I hope to extend my research on how representations mediate student cognition by shifting my focus to mathematics content at the high school and post-secondary grade levels.