The National Science Foundation Awards More Than $400,000 to Adelphi University School of Education Associate Professor Elizabeth de Freitas

Garden City, NY
November 4, 2008

Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon School of Education Associate Professor Elizabeth de Freitas was awarded a grant from The National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant for $439,747 is distributed through the K-12 Discovery Research Program at NSF. Dr. de Freitas, along with fellow colleague, Assistant Professor Betina Zolkower of Brooklyn College, are the principal investigators for the three year project entitled “Examining Teacher Discourse and Whole-Class Interaction: A Social Semiotics Model for Mathematics Lesson Study Groups,” a qualitative case study of beginner mathematics teachers working in under-resourced middle schools in Brooklyn.

“The three year project aims to enhance teacher practice in mathematics instruction and to increase our understanding of how semiotic resources are used in learning mathematics,” said Adelphi University Associate Professor Elizabeth de Freitas. The investigators will study the complexities of mathematics teaching and learning and engage teachers in problem solving and lesson design as a means to strengthen content knowledge and enhance their ability to orchestrate whole-class conversations. The selected teachers will meet with Dr. de Freitas and Dr. Zolkower bi-weekly for three hour sessions over the course of the grant while audio taping their lessons for review by the team of researchers.

Dr. de Freitas specializes in mathematics education and cultural studies. She received her Ph.D from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto in 2003.  Her professional accomplishments include a recent book she co-edited with Dr. Kathleen Nolan of the University of Regina entitled, Opening the Research Text: Critical Insights and In(ter)ventions into Mathematics Education, published by Springer Verlag Publishing in 2008. This book was written to be a resource for teacher educators and researchers in education. The ideas explored in this book are central to the research project NSF is funding.


About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,500 students from 41 states and 63 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.


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