Erin Turner (Ph.D. University of TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 2003) is an assistant professor in the department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona.
Prior to her arrival at the UA in 2006, she obtained a B.A. In Elementary Education, with a Bilingual/Esl Specialization and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a focus on Mathematics Education, from Arizona State University. She completed her doctoral studies in Mathematics Education at the University of Texas At Austin. Prior to her doctoral work, she taught a 4th/5th grade dual-language (Spanish/English) classroom in the Phoenix urban core.
Her scholarship focuses on the critically important field of equity and social justice in mathematics education. Specifically, her work examines how mathematics instruction can draw upon children’s multiple mathematical funds of knowledge (e.g., their mathematical thinking, as well as their cultural, linguistic and/or community-based knowledge and experiences) in ways that support mathematical understanding and a sense of agency. Because of her particular interest in the mathematics education of Latino/a students, including those who are English Learners (ELs), she situates her work in the context of predominantly Latino/a communities and schools. Dr. Turner has authored and co-authored numerous publications in these research areas. Her articles have appeared in the top journals of mathematics education, including the Journal For Research In Mathematics Education, Educational Studies In Mathematics, and the International Journal Of Mathematical Thinking And Learning. She has also published in top journals related to bilingual education and Latino/a students, such as Latinos And Education and the Bilingual Research Journal.
She is a Principal Investigator for numerous externally funded research and professional development initiatives, including TEACH MATH (Teachers Empowered to Advance Change in Mathematics, a NSF-funded research grant that focuses on how preservice teachers learn to integrate children’s multiple mathematical funds of knowledge in their instruction, ATI (Arizona Teachers Institute), an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership that focuses on the preparation and development of middle school mathematics teacher leaders in the Tucson Unified School District, and SAZMI (Southern Arizona Mathematics Initiative) which brings together mathematicians and mathematics educators from the College of Education and the Department of Mathematics to offer over 104 hours of mathematics content and pedagogy focused professional development to 140 elementary and middle school teachers in high-need hard to reach schools in the Southern Arizona Region. Additionally, she serves as senior personnel on other research initiatives, such as the NSF-funded grant, Beyond Bridging: Co-education of pre-service and in-service elementary teachers in science and mathematics, and a NOYCE Master Teacher Grant.
