Dr. Bill McCallum
Professor, Department of Mathematics, The University of Arizona
CAREER
William G. McCallum is a University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at The University of Arizona and President of Illlustrative Mathematics.
Born in Sydney, Australia in 1956, he received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Harvard University in 1984, under the supervision of Barry Mazur.
After spending two years at the University of California, Berkeley, and one at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, he joined the faculty at The University of Arizona in 1987.
In 1989 he joined the Harvard calculus consortium, and is the lead author of the consortium's multivariable calculus and college algebra texts.
He has been a visiting scholar at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques and the Institute for Advanced Study.
In 2009-2010 he was one of the lead writers for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and in 2013 he founded the non-profit company Illustrative Mathematics, which produces openly licensed mathematics curriculum and supporting professional development for K-12 mathematics teachers.
THE TITLE AND ABSTRACT
Making Sense of Mathematics and Making Mathematics Make Sense
Research on student learning might focus on what is going on inside the student's mind:
how the student makes sense of the mathematics.
Such research can inform the design of curriculum by providing insight on what motivates and engages students, exposing possible misconceptions, and mapping out learning progressions.
Curriculum design is also informed by the subject matter itself, which has its own motivations, concepts, and logical progressions.
A focus on student learning might regard the subject matter itself as a fixed landscape.
But that landscape is not really fixed; it can be contoured and charted in different ways.
There are choices to be made about conventions, terminology, and sequencing;
about which complexities to elide and which to exhibit.
Making those choices wisely is a matter of making mathematics make sense, rather than making sense of mathematics.
In this talk we consider the mathematical constraints and affordances for writing standards and curriculum.
Dr. Miho Taguma
Dr. Miho Taguma
Senior Policy Analyst, Project Manager of the OECD Education and Skills 2030, OECD
CAREER
Miho Taguma is Senior Policy Analyst in the Early Childhood and Schools Division of the Directorate for Education and Skills at the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
She is currently the project manager of the new OECD initiative, Future of Education and Skills 2030.
The project aims to help countries to explore different dimensions of 21st century competencies which modern education systems need to develop in students towards the world in 2030 (Project Phase 1: 2015-2018);
and in a later stage (Project Phase 2: 2019 and beyond), help countries explore the learning environments and education systems that can support the development of these competencies.
The project will focus on secondary level education, where relevant, including vocational education and training while recognising a life-long learning continuum.
She is also leading the OECD's work on early childhood education and care (ECEC), including the OECD Network on Early Childhood Educaton and Care (ECEC), the international ECEC staff survey, the policy reviews of ECEC which have resulted in the OECD Starting Strong publication series.
In the past, she has led various policy reviews such as on migrant educaiton, recognition of non-formal and informal learning. During her post at the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, she worked on "E-learning in Tertiary Education".
She was also involved in the UNESCO-OECD Policy Review of Education Sector for Mauritius as a review team member.
Prior to joining the OECD, she was working in the Education Sector of UNESCO, such as on intercultural dialogue and education projects.
THE TITLE
OECD 2030 Learning Framework: Future of Education and Skills
Dr. Bill McCallum
Dr. Miho Taguma