Authors for Number Worlds

Sharon Griffin, Ph.D.

Sharon Griffin is Professor Emerita of Education and Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She received a B.A. in Psychology from McGill University, a M.A. in Education from the University of New Hampshire, and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of Toronto. Before coming to Clark University in 1989, she worked as a Research Associate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. During the past 25 years, she has received several research awards to use the findings of cognitive science to (a) improve mathematics learning and achievement for at-risk children, (b) teach number sense, and (c) enable teachers of mathematics to acquire the skills needed to enhance their students' math learning and achievement. Dr. Griffin has also served on several national and international advisory boards on projects designed to enhance the cognitive,mathematical, and language development of children from birth through the elementary school years. As a member of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board at the National Academies of Science (NAS) and the Center of Education Research and Innovation at the Organization for Economic Collaboration and Development (OECD), she also helped shape the direction of education research and policy for the United States, Canada, the U.K., and several European countries.

Douglas Clements, Ph.D. & Julie Sarama, Ph.D.

Dr. Douglas Clements, Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning and Professor at the University of Denver, is widely regarded as "the major scholar" in the field of early childhood mathematics education, one with equal relevance to the academy, to the classroom, and to the educational policy arena. At the national, level, his contributions have led to the development of new mathematics curricula, teaching approaches, teacher training initiatives, and models of "scaling up" interventions, as well as having a tremendous impact on educational planning and policy, particularly in the area of mathematical literacy and access. Most recently, Dr. Clements was selected to sit on the National Research Council Committee on Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success for The National Academies of Sciences' Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Julie Sarama is Kennedy Endowed Chair in Innovative Learning Technologies and Professor at the University of Denver. She conducts research on young children's development of mathematical concepts and competencies, implementation and scale-up of educational reform, professional development models and their influence on student learning, and implementation and effects of software environments (including those she has created) in mathematics classrooms. These studies have been published in more than 50 refereed articles, 4 books, 30 chapters, and 60 additional publications. She has been both Principal and Co-Principal Investigator on seven projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Sarama is also co-directing three large-scale studies funded by the U.S. Education Department's Institute of Educational Studies (IES).