Kristin McKenney earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from Salisbury (State) University and her M.S. in Educational Technology from The College of New Jersey. McKenney served 9 years as classroom teacher for the Howard County Public School System, and 1.5 years as a mathematics instructor at Frederick Community College. McKenney’s research interests center on teaching and teacher preparation. In particular, she is interested in understanding and supporting pre-service teachers’ engagement in opportunities to relearn mathematics in a way that is deep, connected, and rich enough to prepare them for the intricate work of teaching mathematics for conceptual understanding. McKenney is also interested in examining the knowledge, skills, practices, and beliefs of elementary teachers as they transition from teacher preparation programs into their first few years of teaching. In addition to scholarship, she enjoys re-seeing the world through the eyes of her twins, Brayden and Brylie, and spending time with her husband James.
Dissertation
Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Engagement During a Mathematics Content Course: An Exploratory Study
In response to recommendations from research and policy, expectations characterizing how students and teachers should interact in the mathematics classroom have changed. Such change begs for a shift in the way in which future teachers experience their coursework throughout teacher preparation. In order to develop mathematical understanding that is deep, connected, and rich enough to prepare them for the intricate work of teaching, pre-service teachers must meaningfully engage in learning opportunities designed to foster such understanding. This exploratory study examined and compared the efforts of pre-service teachers to make sense of mathematics in the context of a challenging content course.
Education
- B.S. in Elementary Education, Salisbury (State) University, MD
- M.S. in Educational Technology, The College of New Jersey, NJ
Professional Experience
- Instructor, Mathematics for K-8 Teachers, University of Delaware (2012–2016)
- Student Teacher Supervisor, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics placements, University of Delaware (2015)
- Instructor, Frederick Community College, Frederick, MD
- Middle School Mathematics Teacher, Howard County Public Schools, Mount View Middle School, Marriottsville, MD (2005–2010)
- Elementary School Teacher, West Friendship Elementary School, West Friendship, MD (2001–2005)
Honors and Awards
- Dissertation Fellows Award, University of Delaware (2016–2017)
- Professional Award for Graduate Students, University of Delaware (2015)
Publications
- Jansen, A., DiNapoli, J., McKenney, K. (in press). “Contending with Assumptions about Affect in Mathematics Education–A review of From Beliefs to Dynamic Affect Systems in Mathematics Education: Exploring a Mosaic of Relationships and Interactions.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.
- McKenney, K. (2015, November). “Relearning Mathematics for Conceptual Understanding: Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Coursework Experiences.” In Bartell, T.G., Bieda, K.N., Putnam, R.T., Bradfield, K., & Dominguez, H. (Eds.). (2015). Proceedings of the 37th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (p. 1002). East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University.
Presentations
- Berk, D., Gallivan, H., Jansen, A., McKenney, K., Meikle, E., & Miller, E. (2016, June). “Measuring effects of 15 years of course improvements on graduates’ teaching competence.” Presentation at the University of Delaware Mathematics Teacher Preparation Conference, Newark, DE.
- Berk, D., Hiebert, J., Jansen, A., Morris, A., McKenney, K., & Miller, E. (2015, February). “Investigating the effect of mathematics teacher preparation on teacher knowledge and practice: A multi-faceted approach.“ Symposium presentation at the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) Conference in Orlando, FL.
- McKenney, K. (2015, November). “Relearning Mathematics for Conceptual Understanding: Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of their Coursework Experience.” Poster presentation at the Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA) in East Lansing, MI.
- McKenney, K. (2015, April). “Relearning Mathematics for Conceptual Understanding: Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of their Coursework Experience.” Presentation at the Steel Symposium of the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.
- McKenney, K., (2014, May). “What Pre-Service Teacher Think About the Mathematics We Teach and How We Teach It: An effort to improve what is Gained From Our Coursework (Emerging Findings).” Poster presentation at the Steele Symposium of the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.
- Waggoner, M., Madden, L., & McKenney, K., (2009, April). “Developing Number Sense through Math Olympics.” Presentation at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Meeting & Exposition in Washington, DC.