Elon University preservice teachers attended and presented at the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) Annual Conference in November 2025, supported by the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education Dean’s Fund.
Elon students in Katie Baker’s MTH 2080 Number & Algebra for K-8 Teachers and EDU 4200 Mathematics Methods course, Heather Barker’s MTH 2090 Geometry & Data for K-8 Teachers and Emily Elrod’s MTH 3080 Mathematics & Statistics for Middle Grades & Secondary Teachers attended the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) Annual Conference in November 2025.
Students in MTH 2080, 2090, and 3080 also presented at the conference and their conference experience was supported by the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education Dean’s Fund.
The Elon student presenters showcased their ideas for engaging mathematics tasks in the session “Preservice Teacher Power Hour: Fresh Lesson Ideas.”
Prospective math teachers from across the state presented new ideas for high-quality math tasks (elementary, middle and high school) that focus on developing students’ conceptual math understanding. Baker supported organization and facilitation of the session through her role as past-president of the North Carolina affiliate of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. Elrod supported the organization of this session, as well as the entire conference organization and orchestration through her current role as President of the NCCTM.
While at the conference, students attended sessions like Deborah Peart’s keynote on building mathematical identities and topics like using meaningful fraction models and number line use for building computational skills. Another topic of interest was exploring mathematical visions in the presentation Visualizing High-Quality Math Classrooms co-presented by Baker and Elon Teaching Fellow Sarah Copenhaver. This presentation overviewed findings from Copenhaver’s Inquiry Project and SURE 2025 data analysis phase about prospective teachers’ vision for K-5 mathematics classrooms that enact math tasks and discussions.
