Dr. Diana Moss

Biography

My research agenda has transitioned from understanding how children make sense of mathematics in classroom settings to investigating pre-service teachers’ learning in mathematics methods courses and mathematics content courses. This transition occurred because I wanted to do research that would make a difference in my own teaching practice. At my first milestone and dissertation, I learned to study children’s learning of mathematics, specifically algebra, in a classroom setting. My second milestone was my third-year review and reappointment at Appalachian State University where I transitioned to learning to study pre-service teachers’ learning of mathematics. My third milestone occurred when I became an assistant professor at Utah State University and reframed my research to study pre-service teachers’ learning of mathematics and methods. My fourth milestone occurred when I became a teaching assistant professor at University of Nevada, Reno in the midst of the pandemic and focused on teaching mathematics content courses in an online synchronous setting and face-to-face setting. I have actively pursued practitioner research with the intention of “providing insights into teaching in an effort to make change” (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2014, p. 9). Since 2018, I have been involved in research projects to help me engage in reflective practice and bring about positive change in my teaching. The projects are separate in nature, but all strive to connect my teaching philosophy, the course learning goals, teaching activity, and evidence of student learning. The purpose of each project is to analyze and transform teaching to create new learning experiences that focus on conceptual understanding based on meaningful reflections on teaching.