Dionne Cross Francis, an associate professor of mathematics education at Indiana University will deliver the UNC School of Education’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, from noon – 1 p.m. in Peabody Hall room 220.
Her talk is titled “Teachers as Learners: Designing for Holistic Teacher Development.
Dionne Cross Francis is an associate professor of mathematics education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University and the former Director of the Center for P-16 Research and Collaboration. She has a BA in Mathematics from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia. Her research interests include investigating the relationships among psychological constructs such as knowledge, beliefs, identity, efficacy and emotions and how the interplay between these constructs influence teachers’ instructional decision-making prior to and during the act of teaching (mathematics). Understanding both the contextual and teacher-specific factors that motivate teacher actions as they plan and instruct is essential for determining the optimal design features of professional development that allow teachers to thrive. Results of this work have informed the design and implementation of professional development initiatives nationally (Indiana, Georgia) and internationally [Jamaica, Turkey, Kosovo, South Sudan, Ghana (upcoming)], and have secured several million dollars in both state and federal funding.
Dr. Cross Francis has been awarded the national K-12 Promotion of Education award for promoting STEM education from the 2014 Women of Color STEM Conference, the Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, the American Psychological Association Division 15 Early Career Award and the University of Georgia’s Young Alumni Award. The IU School of Education also awarded her the Students’ Choice for Excellence in Teaching award, the Graduate Student Mentoring award and the Trustee’s Teaching Award for her work with pre-service teachers and graduate students. She is a co-editor and co-author of two books, Research on Teacher Identity: Mapping Challenges and Innovations (2018) and Teachers’ Goals, Beliefs, Emotions, and Identity Development: Investigating Complexities in the Profession (in press). Her work has also been featured in top journals in the field, including Journal of Mathematical Behavior, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, Teacher College Record, Educational Studies in Mathematics and Teaching and Teacher Education.