Graduate intern Ashley Loftis presents at international conference

A graduate intern from NC State University recently presented a leadership project in collaboration with her Elon faculty mentor.

Aaron Trocki, associate professor of mathematics, and Ashley Loftis, a graduate student from North Carolina State University, were selected to share their curriculum revision project at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education 2024 Conference.

N.C. State graduate student Ashley Loftis

Loftis is a doctoral candidate in mathematics education at N.C. State. She has been completing an internship with Trocki this academic year to prepare her to teach and supervise middle grades and secondary mathematics student teachers. Part of their collaboration involved creating a case-study leadership project where pre-service teachers analyzed teaching through a relationship model of leadership.

Loftis shared their peer-reviewed report, “Supporting Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers in Developing Digital Leadership.” The roundtable discussion included details on this curriculum resource and pre-service teachers’ learning particularly related to how teachers use digital technology to support and enhance student learning. She reflected, “I was most excited about being around other teacher educators [and] interested in learning about what other institutions are doing to prepare their students for a future in education.”

This work originated in Trocki’s role as a Leadership Faculty Scholar (2022-23) in Elon’s Center for Leadership.