Dr. Maria Fernandez - College of Education

F ACULTY
A CADEMIC P ROFILE
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
D R. MARIA L. FERNANDEZ
A SSOCIATE P ROFESSOR/ASSOCIATE
C HAIR
A CADEMIC A PPOINTMENTS
Associate Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning
Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
P ROGRAM A FFILIATIONS
Department of Teaching and Learning
E DUCATION
PhD ( 1996) University of Georgia, Mathematics Education
C ONTACT
O FFICE
ZEB 214A
A DDRESS 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199-0001
PHONE 305-348-0193
E - MAIL
mfernan@fiu.edu
S UMMARY P ROFILE
Dr. Maria L. Fernandez joined the faculty of FIU in Fall 2007. Originally from Miami, she received a BS and MS from FIU
and was a Miami-Dade Public School mathematics teacher for several years. Later, she attended and graduated from the
University of Georgia with a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education (and completed 32 credits of graduate mathematics including
doctoral level). She then worked at the University of Arizona and Florida State University. Her research and scholarly work
is primarily within the areas of creating and investigating approaches for the professional development of prospective and
practicing teachers of mathematics working with diverse learners, and developing and exploring approaches for improving
the mathematics teaching and learning of diverse learners. Her work has been published in a variety of well-established
peer-reviewed journals and research proceedings. As of Spring 2011, she has been awarded over $2.5 million in external
funding. As an active member of professional organizations, she has been elected and served in various leadership roles
including Chair of the Psychology of Mathematics Education-North American Chapter in 2000, and most recently serving on
the 2009-2010 Program Committee for the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and as 2010-2012 Secretary of
the Florida Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. As a faculty member, she serves on, chairs or co-chairs multiple
doctoral committees and has collaborated with her doctoral students in the conduct and dissemination of research. Since
joining FIU, she has worked extensively with faculty in the college, as well as across the university, garnering external
funding for projects such as Florida Promise, engaging in curriculum development including taking the lead on the
development of the COE components of the BA in Mathematics: Mathematics Education Track, and collaborating on
college or university committees including serving as co-Chair of Faculty Assembly in the College of Education.
INTERESTS
Microteaching lesson study, lesson study, teacher professional development at both preservice and inservice
levels, teaching and learning mathematics (including using technology) to diverse learners.
S ELECTED A CADEMIC A DMINISTRATIVE A PPOINTMENTS
F ACULTY Co- Chair College of Education Faculty Assembly 2010-present
A DMINISTRATIVE Associate Chair of Teaching and Learning 2011-present

S ELECTED C OURSES T AUGHT
MAE 4330 Teaching and Learning Secondary Mathematics
MAE 5655 Computers in Mathematics
MAE 6745 Trends and Issues in Mathematics Education
MAE 7165 Curriculum Development in Mathematics Education
S ELECTED P ROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY E NGAGEMENT
Secretary, Florida Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. 2010-2012.
Program Committee Member for the Association of Mathematics Teacher Education Annual
Conference, 2009-2010.
Editor of the Proceedings of the 22th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the
International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Columbus, OH: ERIC, 2000.
S ELECTED S CHOLARLY AND P ROFESSIONAL W ORK
SELECTED R EFEREED J OURNAL A RTICLES
Fernandez, M. L. (2010). Investigating how and what prospective teachers learn through
microteaching lesson study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26 (2), 351-562.
Fernandez, M. L & Erbilgin, E. (2009). "Examining the Nature of Communication among
Mathematics Student Teachers, Cooperating Teachers, and University Supervisors." Educational
Studies in Mathematics,72 (1), 93-110.
Fernandez, M. L. & Schoen, R. (2008). “Teaching and Learning Mathematics through Hurricane
Tracking.” Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School, 13(9), 500-512.
S ELECTED O THER P UBLICATIONS
Fernandez, M. L.& Zilliox, J. (2011). “Approaches to Lesson Study in Prospective Teacher
Education.” In Hart, L., Alston, A., Murata, A, Lesson Study across Mathematics Education
Contexts, Springer Inc.
S ELECTED P RESENTED/ACCEPTED P APERS AND L ECTURES
Bu, L. & Fernandez, M. L. & Uncontrollable Belief-Related Behavior: The Case of an Eighth Grader.
Research Pre-session of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Washington, DC,
April 2010 (refereed)
Fernandez, M. L. Lesson Study as a Process of Professional Development for Elementary School Mathematics
Teachers. AERA Annual Meeting, April 2009 (refereed)
Fernandez, M. L. & Erlbigin, E. Examining Mathematics Student Teaching Post-Lesson Conference
Communications. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL,
February 2009 (refereed)
S ELECTED R ECENT S PONSORED S CHOLARSHIP
P RINCIPAL
I NVESTIGATOR
P RINCIPAL
I NVESTIGATOR
Florida PROMISE at FIU. (FL Department of Education sub-award with USF, $960,644) 2008-2010
Advancing Students’ Transition toward Algebra (FL Department of Education MSP,
$1,123,613)
2004-2006