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- Detailed Information
Betina Zolkower
Associate Professor
Secondary Education
Location: 2414b James Hall
Phone: 718.951.5000 x3954
Fax: 718.951.4816
Email:
Native Argentinean Betina Zolkower has been living in New York as a permanent resident since 1986. She is an associate professor in the Middle Childhood Mathematics Program. Zolkower has a master's in educational studies from the University of Buenos Aires, and two years of graduate coursework in physics and mathematics, also at the University of Buenos Aires. She co-directs a study group of mathematics teachers and teacher educators in the south of Argentina (Grupo Patagónico de Didáctica de la Matemática).
Education:
Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center - 1996 (Sociology)
Areas of Expertise:
Zolkower's research focuses on how teachers mediate whole-class conversations within the context of nonroutine mathematical problem solving. Her views on math instruction, curriculum design, teacher training and classroom research articulate a Vygotyskian perspective on teaching and learning, the realistic approach to math instruction (under development in the Netherlands since the late 1960s around the work of Freudenthal), and selected tools from M.A.K. Halliday's functional grammar.
Books and Publications
"Mini-class de matemática centradas en problemas no rutinarios," Revista Novedades Educativas, Numero384 (upcoming March) (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2023
"From bartering to substitution: Interpretative analysis of a whole-group conversation in a seventh-grade classroom," with Silvia Perez & Sam Shreyar. Manuscript submitted for review to the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2022
Rabino, Bressan & Zolkower, Triangulos sobre reticulados, instructional design, online contribution to the webpage of the Grupo Patagonico de Didactica de la Matemática (GPDM) (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2022
Abrahamson, D., Zolkower, B., & Stone, E. "Reinventing RME at Berkeley: Emergence and development of a course for pre-service teachers. In van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. (Ed.), Reflections from abroad on the Netherlands Didactic Tradition in Mathematics Education. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2017
Zolkower, B. & Bressan, A. Diagramas y pensamiento diagramático en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la matemática: El problema de la escalera. Novedades Educativas 29(318): 36-43
(Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2017
Zolkower, B., Bressan, a., Perez, S., & Gallego. F. "From the bottom up: Reinventing realistic mathematics education in Southern Argentina." In: Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. (Ed.). Reflections from abroad on the Netherlands Didactic Tradition in Mathematics Education.
(Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2017
de Freitas, E. and B. Zolkower. "Tense and aspect in word problems about motion: diagram, gesture, and the felt experience of time." Mathematics Education Research Journal 27(3), 311-330 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2015
Zolkower, B. and L. Rubel. Not "Just Another Brick in the Wall." Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 21(2). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2015
Zolkower, B., S. Shreyar and S. Perez. "Whole Group Interaction as Teacher-Guided Thinking Aloud Together: Supporting the Development of a Generalized Mathematizing Other." ZDM: The International Journal on Mathematics Education.DOI 10.1007/s11858-015-0701-8 (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2015
Bressan, A., A. Rabino and B. Zolkower. "El rompecabezas hexagonal: Dónde está la matemática?" Didáctica: 28-35 (Uruguay). (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
de Freitas, E. and B. Zolkower. "Tense and Aspect in Word Problems About Motion: Diagram, Gesture, and the Felt Experience of Time." Mathematics Education Research Journal. (Online first version: Mathematics Education Research Journal DOI 10.1007/s13394-014-0139-2) (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2014
Perez, Silvia, Betina Zolkower and Ana Maria Bressan. "Cadenas de calculo: Un recurso para fortalecer el sentido del numero y de las operaciones." Novedades Educativas 280.26, April: 50-57. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
Zolkower, B. and A. Bressan. "Educación matemática realista." Educación Matemática: Aportes a la Formación Docente Desde Distintos Enfoques Teóricos. Eds. Marcel Pochulu and Mabel Rodríguez. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Universidad de General Sarmiento. (Books and Publications: Book (Edited)) 2012
Zolkower, B. and E. de Freitas. "Mathematical meaning-making in whole-class conversation: Functional grammatical analysis of a paradigmatic text." Language and Dialogue 1.3. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2012
de Freitas, E. and B. Zolkower. "Developing teacher capacity to explore non-routine problems through a focus on the social semiotics of mathematics classroom discourse." Research in Mathematics Education 13.3: 229-47. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2011
de Freitas, E. and B. Zolkower. "The Social Semiotics of Mathematics Classroom Discourse: Developing Teacher Capacity to Explore Non-routine Problems in Urban Classrooms." Proceedings of epiSTEME 4 -- International Conference to Review Research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. Eds. S. Chunawala and M. Kharatmal. India: Macmillan. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2010
Haydar, H. and B. Zolkower. "Making the Study of Non-routine Problem Solving a Mathematics Classroom Routine: A Lesson Study Group for Beginning Secondary School Teachers." JIEEM (Brazil). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2010
Perez, Silvia, Ana Bressan and Betina Zolkower. ?Ya tenemos las soluciones. ¿Y ahora que hacemos?, 12(ntes), November. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2010
Shreyar, S., B. Zolkower and S. Perez. "Thinking Aloud Together: A 6th-grade Teacher's Mediation of a Whole-class Conversation About Percents." Educational Studies in Mathematics 73: 21-53. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Hanna Haydar. "Beginning Teachers and Non-routine Mathematics Problems: A Lesson Study Group in an Urban Context." Proceedings of the Thirty-first Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Atlanta. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Silvia Perez. "El rompecabezas de 19 piezas." Novedades Educativas (Buenos Aires), October. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2009
Rubel, L. and B. Zolkower. "Arranging Blocks, Climbing Stairs and Beyond: Learning About the Significance of Mathematical Representations." Mathematics Teacher 101.5: 340-44. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2007
Zolkower, Betina and Sam Shreyar. "A Teacher's Mediation of a Thinking Aloud Discussion in a 6th-grade Mathematics Classroom." Educational Studies in Mathematics 65: 177-202. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2007
Zolkower, Betina and Ana Bressan. "La corriente realista de didática de la matemática: Experiencias de un grupo de docentes y capacitadores." Yupana: Revista de Matemática de la Universidad del Litoral (Argentina). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2006
Zolkower, Betina, Ana Bressan and Silvia Perez. "Las imágenes y las preguntas en la escuela." Novedades Educativas 182, February: 22-26. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2006
Zolkower, Betina, Ana Bressan and Fernanda Gallego. "Los principios de la educación matemática realista." Reflecciones Teóricas para la Educación Matemática. Eds. Humberto Alagia, Ana Bressan and Patricia Sadovsky. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Libros del Zorzal. 69-98. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2004
Zolkower, Betina, Pérez, da Valle and Ana Bressan. "La relevancia de los contextos en la resolución de situaciones-problema: Una experiencia para docentes y sus capacitadores." Paradigma (Venezuela): 59-94. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2003
Zolkower, Betina and Sam Shreyar. "Shortest Pathways: Interaction and Semiotic Apprenticeship in a 6th-grade Classroom." Proceedings of the 20th PANAMA Conference, Freudenthal Institute, The Netherlands: 141-62. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2002
"Math Fictions: What Really Solves the Problem?" Technoscience and Cyberculture. Eds. Stanley Aronowitz et al. New York and London: Routledge. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 1995
Creative Work
B. Zolkower, "Conversation," Photograph published as cover of special anniversary issue of the journal Postmedieval, postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies (2020) 11, 149-150. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41280-020-00186-5
Lester and Alice Crow Professorship (2015-6) (Awards and Honors) 2016
Engaging Students in Framing and Solving Non-Routine Problems: A Lesson Study Group for Mathematics Teachers (a research/professional development project involving three mathematics teachers working in public schools).
"Acerca del problema de Lewis Carroll: Consideraciones (multi)semióticas y matemático-didácticas," Invited Lecture at the Profesorado de Educación Matemática J.V. Gonzalez, Ciudad de Buenos Aires. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
Member of the Review Committee for the Deborah Shanley Scholarship (reviewed applications and met with the other two committee members to select the most suitable candidate for receving the award) (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2019
"Unpacking the multiplicity of meanings in Lewis Carroll's Squares Problem," Guest lecture in the course Didactica de la Matemática, Prof. G. Zorzoli, Instituto Joaquin V. Gonzalez, CABA, Argentina (July 13). 2020
2020
"Octagons Found in a Chair in Buenos Aires" photograph published in Found Math, a section of the online newsletter of the Mathematical Association of America. 2010
"Visual Proof" photograph published in Found Math, a section of the online newsletter of the Mathematical Association of America. www.maa.org/FoundMath/
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Lester and Alice Crow Professorship (2015-6). Project Title: Engaging Students in Framing and Solving "Low Threshold-High Ceiling" Non-Routine Problems: A Lesson Study Group for Mathematics Teachers (Awards and Honors) 2015
Responsive Research Network MSP (Hunter College, CUNY), for "Non-Routine Mathematics Problems and Beginning Middle School Teachers: An Exploratory Inquiry on a Lesson Study Group." H. Haydar and B. Zolkower, co-principal investigators. $15,000. (Grants and Fellowships) 2008
Zolkower, B. and H. Haydar. Teacher Induction Summer Pilot - Phase II. Funds provided by the City University of New York for engaging 12 beginning mathematics teachers in a one-month lesson study group. $16,600. (Grants and Fellowships) 2008
Tow Travel Fellowship, for travelling to Bariloche, Argentina, to work on the project "Whole-Group Interaction as Teacher-guided Interpersonal Gateway Into Mathematical Meaning-Making: An Investigation in Two 6th-grade Classrooms." (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
Zolkower, B. and H. Haydar. Teacher Induction Summer Pilot - Phase I. Funds provided by the City University of New York for engaging 12 beginning mathematics teachers in a one-month lesson study group. $13,500. (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
Research Activities
2016
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
B. Zolkower & S. Perez, "Matematizando rompecabezas: como sacarle el jugo al todo y a las partes." Segundo encuentro (conversatorio) para docentes y formadores de docentes en matemática.Instituto de Formación Docente Continua (August 21). (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
Perez, S & Zolkower, B."La barra de porcentajes como herramienta para matematizar: un enfoque realista," Paper presented at the Primer Seminario Científico en Educación Matemática. Departamento de Matemática de la Universidad Nacional del Sur en la ciudad de Bahía
Blanca, Argentina (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2020
"Apprenticing students in diagrammatic thinking: A non-routine problem in a high school geometry class." (Research supported by an Alice and Lester Crow Professorship), presentation at the BC School of Education, Feb 6. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
"Developing teachers' practices through lesson study and realistic mathematics education," keynote speech at the 6th Realistic Mathematics Education Conference, Gran Cayman. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
"Surrounding the earth with millions of Playmobil: A mathematizing and didactising experience," workshop with Silvia Perez, RME6, Grand Cayman. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2018
An Interpersonal Gateway to Algebraic Symbolizing: Conjoined Making of a Multi-Semiotic Text in a 7th Grade Argentinian Classroom, with Sam Shreyar. Paper presentation accepted for the 45th International Systemic Function Congress (ISFC 18) '(Re)imagining the Future." Boston College, Boston, Mass, July 23-27.
(Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2018
Keynote Speaker at the 6th International Realistic Mathematics Education Conference: "Making Mathematics Meaningful for Students." Cayman Islands, Sept 20-23. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
Submitted for review a paper presentation for CERME11 (Utrecht, The Netherlands).entitled "From bartering to algebraic equivalence: teacher-guided reconstruction of experience" (Co-authors: Silvia Perez and Sam Shreyar). Paper was accepted with revisions; revisions werw submitted; the paper was then rejected. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2018
Matematizando juntos en voz alta: Preguntas y diagramas en situaciones de interacción grupal de toda la clase. Keynote reserch presentation at the VI Jornadas de Educación Matemática, III Jornadas de Investigación en Educación Matemática, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina (August 10-11)
(Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2017
"Teacher Conduction of Whole-group Interaction: Functional Grammar of a Conversation in a Grade 6 Mathematics Classroom." Using Systemic Functional Linguistics to Study Mathematics Classroom Discourse Symposium. American Education Research Association. Philadelphia, April 5. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
"Whole-group Conversations in Mathematics Classrooms: The Functional Grammar of a 'Thinking Aloud Together' Text." Urban Science Education Research Seminar (USER-S). CUNY Graduate Center. New York. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
EDUC 195c: Knowing and Learning in Math and Science. CALTEACH, University of California, Berkeley. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
Zolkower, Betina and Elizabeth de Freitas. "Functional Grammar Tools for Studying Whole-class Conversations in Mathematics Classrooms" symposium. NCTM Research Pre-session. San Diego. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Zolkower, Betina and Elizabeth de Freitas. "What's in a Text: Engaging Mathematics Teachers in the Study of Whole-class Conversations." 6th Conference on Mathematics Education and Society. Berlin. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
"From the Bottom Up: The Function of Contexts, Tools and Texts in Progressive Mathematizing." Realistic Mathematics Education Conference. Freudenthal Institute-US, University of Colorado, Boulder. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Dor Abrahamson. "Studying Paradigmatic Didactical-mathematical Situations: Design and Implementation of an Experimental Graduate-level Course for Pre-service Mathematics Teachers and Doctoral Students." Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Elizabeth de Freitas. "A Social Semiotics Model for Mathematics Lesson Study Groups" roundtable. American Educational Research Association. San Diego. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Elizabeth de Freitas. "Disrupting the Diagram: Semiotic Tools for Teachers" poster. NCTM Research Pre-session. Washington, D.C., April. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Elizabeth de Freitas. "Engaging Beginning Mathematics Teachers in the Study of Whole-class Interaction Texts Within a Lesson Study Group Context: Tasks, Results and Insights From an Exploratory Study" poster. DR-K12 PI Meeting. Washington, D.C. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Zolkower, Betina, Laurie Rubel, Hanna Haydar and Michael Meagher. "Mathematics Education Research for Urban Schools: Examples and Directions" symposium. NCTM Research Pre-session, Washington, D.C. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Zolkower, Betina and Sam Shreyar. "Thinking Aloud Together: The Role of a Mathematics Teacher in Mediating a Whole-class Discussion About Percents." American Education Research Association. New York, March 24-28. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
"Thinking Aloud Together: The Teacher's Role in Mediating Whole Class Interaction in the Mathematics Classroom." Winter Institute of Specialized Didactics at the University of San Martin, Buenos Aires (Argentina). http://www.unsam.edu.ar/escuelas/humanidades/escuela_invierno/programa.htm. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2007
Zolkower, Betina and Ana Bressan. "Enseñando a matematizar, aprendiendo a didactizar: Ideas y experiencias en torno a la capacitación de docentes de matemática." Conferencia de la REM-UMA. Bahía Blanca, Argentina. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2006
"La problematica de la (re)contextualizacion en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la matemática." Congreso Provincial Contexto y Prácticas Aulicas. Mendoza, Argentina. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2005
Professional Leadership
Served as a member of the Performance Assessment in Mathematics committee at Harvest Collegiage High School (Professional Leadership: Public Service) 2019
Member of the School P&T (reviewed applications for promotion and tenure of six candidates from the School of Education) (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Other Professional Activities
On-site professional development in mathematics for teachers in grades k through 8 at PS/MAT 126 Jacob Riis. 2019
Facilitated a 6 session seminar on instructional design around non-routine mathematics problems for Math for America fellows. 2019
Guest Lecturer in MSTM 4199: Teaching and Learning Mathematics in Early Childhood Calssrooms taught by Prof. Shreyar at Teachers College, Columbia University 2019
Collaborated, with Sam Shreyar, in the design of a new course for the Early Childhood Program at Teachers College (MSTM 4199: Teaching and Learning Mathematics in Early Childhood Classrooms) 2018
Facilitated a 3-session seminar on instructional design around non-routine mathematics problems for Math for America fellows. 2018
Invited class/lecture at Teachers College (Columbia University) in the Mathematics in Early Childhood course taught by Prof. Sam Shreyar. 2018
Offered a one-day workshop on realistic geometry for early childhood teachers (Beijing, China) 2018
Offered on-site professional development for mathematics teachers at Frederick Douglas Academy II 2018
On-site professional development in mathematics for teachers in grades k through 8 at PS/MAT 126 Jacob Riis. 2018
Reviewed two conference presentation proposals for CERME11 (Utrecht, The Netherlands) 2018
Reviewed two paper presentation proposals for CERME11 (TWG9: Mathematics and Language) 2018
Served as a member of a review committee to evaluate applicants for Early Career and Master Teachers for Math for America 2018
"Diagrams as generators of mathematical activity: Planning lessons and mini-units that engage students in diagrammatic thinking and reasoning." A three-day seminar for 5-10 grade mathematics teachers. San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. 2016
One-day workshop on realistic mathematics education for secondary mathematics teachers at the Goethe Schule, Buenos Aires (November 18). 2016
"El papel de los diagramas en la formulación y resolución de problemas matemáticos no rutinarios," a two-day workshop for grades four through nine mathematics teachers, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. 2014
