James E. Smith

University of Arizona · jsmith62@email.arizona.edu


Education

PhD Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies

University of Arizona
Dissertation
Continuous response measures as a measure of teaching practice: A validation study
August 2017 - May 2022

Master of Science: Data Science and Statistics

University of Arizona
August 2020 - May 2021

Master of Teaching in Elementary Education

University of South Carolina
May 2015 - May 2016

Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction: English as a Second Language

Arizona State University
June 2010 - August 2012

English Rhetoric and Communication, B.A.

University of South Carolina
August 2003 - August 2007

Publications

In-progress Manuscripts & Proposals


Kersting, N. B., Smith, J. E., Xiong, R, Vezino, B., & Mercier, N. Measuring, modeling, and conceptualizing usable teacher knowledge in mathematics: Theoretical and methodological advances. Targeted journal: Science.

Turner, E, Chen, M., & Smith, J.E. An Innovative Professional Development (M2C3: Mathematical Modeling with Cultural and Community Contexts), teaching applications and Student Learning in Mathematical Modeling in Elementary Grades. Targeted journal: Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education(JMTE).

Smith, J.E., Xiong, R., Mercier, N., & Kersting, N.B. Using the nominal response model (NRM) to investigate rubric consistency. Targeted journal: Meausurement.

Smith, J.E. & VMED Teacher Test subgroup. Intial findings from an examination of validity evidence in mathematics teacher tests: Brief report. Targeted journal: Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME).

Smith, J.E., Xiong, R., Mercier, N., & Kersting, N.B. Automated scoring using Neural Networks. Targeted journal: Meausurement.

Journal publications


Turner, E., ..., & Smith, J. E.. (2021). Designing an assessment for elementary mathematics modeling. IJSME. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10763-021-10195-w

Turner, E., Roth-McDuffie, A., Chen, M., Smith, J. E., & Aguirre, J. (In press). Validating a student assessment of mathematical modeling at elementary school level. School Science and Mathematics.

Kersting, N. B., Smith, J. E., Wood, M.B., Vezino, B., Chen, M.K., & Stigler, J. W. (2021). Using authentic video clips of classroom instruction to capture teachers’ moment-to-moment perceiving as knowledge-filtered noticing. ZDM Mathematics Education 53, 109–118 .https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01201-6

Kersting, N.B., Smith, J. E., Vezino, B., Chen, M., Wood, M. B. & Stigler, J. W. (2020). Exploring the affordances of Bayesian networks for modeling usable knowledge and knowledge use in teaching. ZDM Mathematics Education 52, 207–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01135-z

Conference publications


Kersting, N. B., Smith, J. E., Xiong, R, Vezino, B., & Mercier, N. (Under review) Capturing, modeling, and conceptualizing usable teacher knowledge in mathematics. AERA 2022.

Smith, J. E., Turner, E., & Roth-McDuffie, A. (2021). Mathematical modeling competency in upper-elementary: Validity evidence at the item level. In K. Johnson, D. Olanoff, & S.M. Spritzer (Eds.). Productive Struggle: Preserving Through Challenges: Proceedings of the 43rd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Philadelphia. https://www.pmena.org/pmenaproceedings/PMENA%2043%202021%20Proceedings.pdf

Kersting, N. B., Smith, J. E., Vezino, B., Chen, M. & Stigler, J. W. (2021, Apr 9 - 12) CVA-M Measure. AERA Annual Meeting Orlando, FL (Online only)

Smith, J. E., Kersting, N. B., Vezino, B., Chen, M. & Stigler, J. W. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Modeling Mathematical Teaching Knowledge Relationships for Different Teaching Practice Using Bayesian Networks [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/uahfhhc(Conference Canceled)

Kersting, N. B., Vezino, B., Smith, J. E., Chen, M., Wood, M. B. & Stigler, J. W. (2020, Apr 17 - 21) Using Bayesian Networks to Model Teachers' Usable Knowledge and Knowledge Use in Teaching [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/rr78629 (Conference Canceled)

Kersting, N. B., Smith, J. E., Wood, M.B., Vezino, B., Chen, M.K., & Stigler, J. W. (2020). Teacher Understanding of the Mathematical Practices: A Lay of the Land. AMTE 2020

Smith, J. E., Kersting, N. B., Udun, Y., & Vezino, B. (2019). Identifying activated knowledge: Capturing complex knowledge in use. PME-NA 2019https://www.pmena.org/pmenaproceedings/PMENA%2041%202019%20Proceedings.pdf

Kersting, N. B., Wood, M. B., Vezino, B., Smith, J. E., Chen, M.K., & Stigler, J. W. (2019). Developing measures of usable, Common Core-aligned mathematics teaching knowledge (CVA-M): Link between knowledge and performance. AERA.

Carter, K., Smith, J. E., & Sugimoto, A. (2019). Hegemony trumped up and trickling down: Stories of sadness and stasis for LGBTQ+ individuals in school and society. AERA

Workshops


Erbacher, M., Smith, J. E., & Castro, S. (2021). Plot your data, plot your data, plot your data: Basic and advanced data visualization in R Workshop presented at the meeting of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, Online. https://www.nera-education.org/annual_conference.php


Research Experience

PI: Dr. Nicole Kersting, Co-PIs: Dr. Robert Wilson, Dr. Michelle Perry, Dr. Meg Bates
Project funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The project aimes to study a theoretical model for improving classroom communication in the context of sharing student work. This model explicitly moves away from viewing teachers as executors of practiced approaches towards a framework in which teachers are thinkers and effective decision-makers. To evaluate the usefulness of the teachers as thinkers model, we will investigate relationships between teachers’ exploration and curiosity behaviors, usable knowledge and knowledge enactment reflected in their sharing practice at baseline and investigate the impact of the intervention on changes in teachers’ internal models of classroom communication and practice.
As a research assistant on this project, I helped in writing the intial proposal, grant application, and IRB application. I have also been a part of the planning meetings for the project and will be a part of item and instrument development, writing programs for data, piloting of items and programs, and initial PD planning.

January 2020 - Present

PI: Dr. Nicole Kersting
Project funded by National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning. The purpose is to develop a set of video-based, scalable, classroom-focused measures of usable mathematics teaching knowledge that are aligned with Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
As a part of this project, I have been involved the development of items and collection of data. I have writen programs to automate data collection. I have contributed to creating a new item type to capture teaching practice and taken the lead on developing new methods of analysis. I have been a part of rubric developement and worked. I been responsible for an undergraduate student and other graduate students as part of item scoring and coding and data analysis. I have also worked with the PI to author pieces in a prominent math education journal and major conferences.

January 2018 - Present

PI: Dr. Erin Krupa
The project began with a collaborative conference in Februrary 2020 with aims of defining and contextualizing key terms identified as critical to examining validity of quantitative tools and measures, and creating and disseminating a document (or set of documents) expressing ideas related to these definitions and contextualizations to the field of researchers working within mathematics education. The effort since the conference has been to collect what measures are currently used in mathematics to measure in- and preservice teachers' knowledge and establish what validity evidence is published for these measures.
Thus far, my role has been to create automated programs to collect and filter out articles from a collection of math education journals for inclusion in our team's synthesis. I have also been a part of inclusion decisions and analysis meetings.

February 2020 - Present

PI: Julia Aguirre, Co-PI: Dr. Erin Turner
Project funded by National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning. The study seeks to develop a set of valid and reliable measures to evaluate teacher and student learning outcomes related to mathematical modeling.
My role on this project was to conduct Item Responses Theory (IRT) anlaysis for validation arguments of a quiz developed for the study. I also contributed to the publication of the results.

Summer 2020

PI: Dr. Michelle Perry
The purpose of this study is to improve learning from online mathematics classroom videos.
I automated data collection and processing for the projects use of the CVA measure, helped with user technical issues, and processed output of the Implicit Associative Teaching Practice measure.

2018 - 2019

PI: Dr. David Yaeger
The purpose of the study is to understand the effects of mindset on students’ performance in high school mathematics.
As part of the study, I participated in rubric creation and scoring of responses and wrote reports of the results.

Summer 2018

Awards & Fellowships

  • 2020-2021 University of Arizona College of Education Scholarship
  • 2021 University of Arizona College of Education Travel Award
  • 2021 University of Arizona Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies Travel Award
  • 2020 University of Arizona Graduate College Professional Development Award
  • National Science Foundation Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE) Fellow 2019-2020
  • 2019-2020 University of Arizona College of Education Fellowship
  • 2019-2020 University of Arizona College of Education Scholarship
  • 2019 University of Arizona Graduate College Fellowship
  • 2019 University of Arizona College of Education Travel Award
  • 2019 University of Arizona Department of Teaching Language and Socio-cultural Studies Travel Award
  • 2018-2019 University of Arizona College of Education Fellowship
  • 2018-2019 Robert F. Paulsen Scholarship
  • 2018 Graduate Student Professional Council Travel Award
  • 2017-2018 University of Arizona Teaching and Teacher Education Graduate Scholarship
  • 2017-2018 University of Arizona Graduate College Fellowship

Teaching Experience

NSCS 200: Fundamentals of Neuroscience & Cognitive Science

University of Arizona-Online
Instructor & Co-Creator

I worked with Dr. Rick Levine and an online course program coordinator to adapt and create materials and content for an accelatered, online version of this intial course for Neuroscience majors. The course covers basic neuroanatomy to higher-order cognitive processes.

Spring 2022 (7.5 week course)

NSCS 200: Fundamentals of Neuroscience & Cognitive Science

University of Arizona
Teaching Assistant

This course is a introduction to important historical moments, various methods, and experimental and conceptual contributions of cognitive neuroscience. The course is the first in the sequence for Cognitive Neuroscience Majors. As part of this course, I met regularly with students during office hours, graded discussion posts, and created quizzes for the cognitive science focused portions of the course.

Spring 2021

EDP 646A: Multivariate Methods

University of Arizona
Teaching Assistant

This advanced graduate level course surveyed common methods in multivariate statistical analsysis such as factor analysis, cluster analysis, and MANOVA. My primary responsiblity was attending classes and holding office hours for additional help with R and statistical analysis. I prepared instructional materials and asynchronous elements and taught a lesson on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Fall 2021

TTE 300: Classroom Process and Instruction

University of Arizona
Teaching Assistant & Instructor

This intial course for elementary teaching majors introduces key ideas in teaching and learning. As a Teacher Assistant with my own section, I was responsible for preparing classroom lectures and grading all assigments for 32 students.

Fall 2017

Elementary Teacher: Third Grade

Saxa Gotha Elementary School
2016-2017

Elementary Teacher & Head Teacher

Sangmyeong Elementary School, South Korea
2009-2015

Service

Conference Committees

  • AERA Division D In-progress Research Gala (IPRG) Chair

    As chair, I created the call, organized reviewers, distributed proposals for review, and compiled ratings for over 130 proposals.

  • TLS Colloquy Co-Chair

    Along with my co-chair, we organized student presentations and keynote speaker for a day long conference for the University of Arizona College of Education.

  • TLS Colloquy Funding Chair

    As funding chair, I procured grants and donations totaling $3600 for a day long conference at the University of Arizona College of Education.



Committee Membership

  • AERA Division D Graduate Student Committee
  • University of Arizona College of Education Dean's Working Group: Advancing Knowledge, Research, and Innovation
  • TLS Graduate Student Committee


Review

  • AERA 2022 Conference and Session Proposals: Divisions C, D, K, & L
  • AERA 2021 Conference and Session Proposals: Divisions D, K, & L
  • PME-NA 2022 Proposals
  • CADRE Fellowship Applicants
  • AERA Division D In-Progress Graduate Student Research Gala
  • AERA 2019 Divisions H & K
  • PME-NA 2019 Proposals
  • AERA 2019 Divisions H & K
  • University of Arizona Graduate Student Professional Council Grants

Consulting

Evidence Centered Design and Bayesian Networks for DPI

Conceptual introduction to Bayesian networks and Evidence Centered Design as a Learning Analytic approch to studented-driven decision making.

July 2021

Statistical and Practical Computing in R

Focused on R programming skills for statistical analysis. Created automated data collection functions.

October 2019 - Present

Dissertation Consulting

Worked with a client using item response theory (IRT) for scale development as part of her dissertation.

Summer - Fall 2019

Outreach

Upward Bound High School Math & ACT Prep Summer Course

University of Arizona

Prepared and taught mathematics test prep to rising Sophmores, Juniors, and Seniors enrolled in the Upward Bound program.

2020

Beautiful Patterns: Coding and Robotics Summer Camp

University of Arizona

As part of this expansion effort of the Beautiful Patterns project, I worked with a team to adapt computer programming lesson materials for high school students enrolled in the course.

2019