Speaker Series

Throughout the year, the mathematics education program hosts a seminar series, inviting speakers to come to campus to present their work and discuss ideas with BU Faculty, Staff, Students and other Community Members. Below is a listing of speakers and topics presented during the seminar series. When available, you can access recordings of the talks here (BU Login Required).

2025-2026 Academic Year

Ilana Walder-Biesanz (CEO, National Math Stars) – 11/06/25

Title: Identifying and Supporting Mathematically Extraordinary Students

Abstract: Building on last year’s Math Education Speaker Series on the intersections of mathematics education and special education, this year’s series turns toward issues of mathematics education and policy. This presentation will feature Ilana Walder-Biesanz, CEO of National Math Stars, an organization that works to identify and support the needs of mathematically gifted students. In this first event, the speaker will share one group’s approach to addressing the learning and policy needs of mathematically gifted students, followed by a 30-minute discussion about the ideas presented and what they mean for our own work and contexts.

2024-2025 Academic Year

Dr. Cathery Yeh (University of Texas at Austin) – 04/17/25

Title: Co-Designing a Practical Measure to Reconceptualize Ability, Normativity, and Access in Mathematics Education

Abstract: In this talk, Cathery will discuss the collaborative (re)development of a practical measure designed to capture embodied participation. Working alongside four mathematics and special education teachers who support students at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities—including students of color, emergent bilinguals, and students with disabilities—a classroom observation tool was redesigned to better capture embodied participation. This talk presents the theoretical and methodological approach, grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory and DisCrit Classroom Ecology, along with the outcomes of engaging teachers in the collaborative design and testing of research tools. By expanding beyond verbal-only measures, this research offers critical insights into student participation and contributes to the growing body of scholarship on equitable classroom measures.

Dr. Rachel Lambert (UC Santa Barbara) – 03/18/25

Title: The Roles of Empathy and Creativity in Designing Accessible Mathematical Experiences; UDL Math and Games Time

Abstract: Mathematics has been an inaccessible space for too long for too many students, including students with disabilities. In this talk, Dr. Lambert will explore her on-going work to create a math-specific version of Universal Design for Learning that centers the empathy and creativity of teachers. She will discuss the theoretical roots of her work, including critical disability studies and design thinking. She will present research on how math and special educators use empathy as a tool in design, particularly in shifting away from deficit thinking and towards trusting in the thinking of all learners. She will discuss an on-going project to develop mathematical interventions that work with the current emotional and material conditions of teachers and students in schools: non-digital Games Time.

Dr. Nate Jones (Boston University) – 12/04/24

Title: Preparing Elementary Teachers to Support Students with Disabilities in Mathematics

Abstract: A significant yet often overlooked issue in education is ensuring equitable outcomes for students with disabilities (SWDs), who make up nearly 15% of K-12 students. However, preservice general education teachers often lack training to support SWDs in math. This presentation shares findings from a four-year NSF-funded study that tested a two-week interactive course for preservice education teachers on metacognitive modeling. Using mixed reality simulations and coaching, candidates showed large improvements in instructional quality. The presentation will describe the overall large effects on candidates’ instructional quality and will address challenges, including integrating new materials into busy coursework, designing control conditions, developing new measures, identifying key outcomes, and exploring AI’s role in reducing assessment burdens.

Dr. Nancy Nelson (Boston University) – 11/18/24

Title: Designing Early Mathematics Interventions in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to Enhance Access to the General Curriculum for Students With or At Risk for Mathematics Learning Disabilities (MLD)

Abstract: This presentation will describe the role of mathematics interventions in MTSS to facilitate student engagement in mathematical learning. Students experiencing difficulties learning mathematics in early elementary school often struggle to demonstrate basic number sense and benefit from explicit instruction targeting whole number concepts to promote access to the general curriculum in prevention-oriented systems. Drawing on research evidence and learning theories, this presentation will describe a process for mathematics intervention design and evaluation, instantiated through NumberShire, an early mathematics, game-based intervention that teaches whole number concepts aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in grades K-2.