Lynn Hodge, PhD | Theory & Practice in Teacher Education

Professor, STEM Education/Math, Director VolsTeach

Biography

Lynn Hodge is a professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Tennessee where she serves as the Director of the Center for Enhancing Education in Mathematics and Sciences (CEEMS), and the Director of STEM education programs.

Further, Hodge is Co-Director of VolsTeach, a program targets undergraduate math, science, or engineering majors who are interested in expanding their professional skills and exploring a career in secondary teaching.

A frequent recipient of external funding focusing on STEM topics and teaching, Dr. Hodge provides guidance for STEM teachers and students locally, and at state and national levels.

Professional Background

Research

Dr. Hodge's research focuses on equity as it plays out in math classrooms. Equity is then concerned with how instructional practices and resources open up spaces for students’ to learn and to develop and appreciation for math. This view of equity is in contrast to a perspective that focuses solely on students’ membership in groups based upon race, economic class, or gender. Statistics based on such categories have been useful in providing evidence of inequities in math education, but they have done little to reveal how the dynamics of race, class, and gender play out specifically in math classrooms.

Therefore, one strand within this research is to focus on classroom practices and how they afford or limit students’ opportunities to learn. A second strand is related to understanding common educational practices such as standardized tests and their implications for students’ math identities. One common criticism of equity research has been that it is often content-free. Hodge’s intent is to examine equity at the level of the specific practices in order to pay serious attention to mathematical content. These three strands are significant because they also inform her learning about how to support pre-service teachers’ learning.

An additional area of interest is that of building partnerships with schools, families, and the community in supporting different views of math in students’ everyday lives. These partnerships involve Family Math nights as part of university coursework and the local high school curriculum. Informal spaces such as public libraries and museums can also serve as contexts in which partnerships can develop and families can become part of the mathematical conversation.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Education and Human Development/Mathematics Education), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Master of Science (Secondary Education) Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Bachelor of Science (Electrical and Computer Engineering), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Professional Service

Institutional Service

University Representative, Tennessee Transfer Pathways Committee, 2017 – present

Faculty Advisor, Women’s Medical Club, The University of Tennessee, 2018 – present

Member, Planning committee for UT Outreach and Community Engagement Conference, 2018 – present

Member, STEM education clinical assistant professor search committee, 2017 - 2018

Chair, STEM education assistant professor search committee, 2016-2017

Member, Science Education assistant professor search committee, 2017-2018

Member, Haslam Scholar Selection Committee, 2018

Disciplinary Service

Associate Editor, The Journal of Research in STEM Education, 2015 – present

Member, Editorial Panel for Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 2017 - present

Member, Editorial Panel for The Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 2005-present

Member, Tennessee STEM Education Leadership Council, 2016 – present

Awards and Recognitions

Frank G. Harvey Professorship Award, The College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, 2018

Collaboration in the Field Award, The Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, The University of Tennessee, 2017

Publications

Selected articles published in refereed journals

Hodge, L., & Wagener-Riva, L. (2018). Understanding women’s experiences in graduate mathematics through a focused identity lens. International Research in Higher Education, 3(2), 112-124.

Hodge, L., & Lawson, M. (2018). Strengthening partnerships through family math nights. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 23(5), 284 – 287.

Hodges, T. E., & Hodge, L. (2017). Unpacking personal identities for teaching mathematics within the context of prospective teacher education. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 20(2), 101-118.

Hodge L., & Walther, A. (2017). Building a discourse community: Initial Practices. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 22(7), 430-437.

Hodge, L., & Cobb, P. (2016). Two views of culture and their implications for mathematics teaching and learning. Urban Education, 51, 1-25.

Bassett, D. & Hodge, L. (2015). Using discussions to build a sense of belonging, and mathematical understanding in online classrooms. Journal of Education and Sociology. doi: dx.doi.org/10.7813/jes.2015/6-2/13

Hodge, L., & Gartman, R. (2015). Understanding working class students’ mathematical experiences: Considering the lens of identity. Journal of Educational Issues, 1. Retrieved from http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jei/article/view/8339/7069

Aydeniz, M., & Hodge, L. (2011). Identity: A complex structure for researching students’ academic behavior in science and mathematics. Cultural Studies in Science Education, 6(2), 509-523

Aydeniz, M. & Hodge, L. (2011). Is it dichotomy or tension: I am a scientist. No, wait! I am a teacher. Cultural Studies in Science Education, 6(1), 165-179.

External Grants: Funded and in Progress

Hodge, L., Harper, F., & Rearden, K. (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019). STEM for Appalachia (SFA): Growing STEM Problem Solvers Through Books, Storytelling, and Family Engagement. The Appalachian Regional Commission, $75,000.

Hodge, L. (September 15, 2018 – June 30, 2019). The East Tennessee STEM Hub of the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN). Battelle Memorial Institute and the Tennessee State Department of Education, $36,824.

Hodge, L, Barker, K. Riechert, S., & Long, L. (July, 2018 – July, 2023). VolsTeach for Appalachia: Strengthening the STEM Teacher Pathway from Community College to East Tennessee High-need School Districts. National Science Foundation, $1,445,000.

Stanley, G., Hodge, L., & Lashley, T. (February 1, 2017 – April 15, 2019). Math Counts 3. Funded by the Tennessee Department of Education, Math and Science Partnership, $325,000.

Contact Information

A410 Jane & David Bailey Education Complex, 1126 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: 865-974-8778
E-mail: lhodge4@utk.edu

Theory & Practice in Teacher Education College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences