Westminster professor receives award for linking research and practice

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Dr. Sararose Lynch, assistant professor of mathematics education in the School of Education at Westminster College, received the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2019 Linking Research to Practice Outstanding Publication Award.

Lynch earned the award as lead author of a collaborative publication, “Productive Struggle for All: Differentiated Instruction.”

Within the article, Lynch and her co-authors analyze how to tailor mathematical tasks for students with a range of learning capabilities while maintaining rigor, which demonstrates accessible practices that educators can use to promote productive struggle through differentiation.

Additionally, the article presents case study examples of students in inclusive classrooms who engaged in productive struggle within a differentiated task. It then studies how appropriate differentiation can provide improved opportunities for all students, including those with disabilities.

Lynch shares the award with co-authors Katherine Lewis, an assistant professor of special education and learning sciences at the University of Washington, and Jessica Hunt, an associate professor of mathematics education and special education at North Carolina State University.

The award recognizes outstanding contributions to NCTM publications that link research to practice in mathematics education and are disseminated to practitioner audiences. “Productive Struggle for All: Differentiated Instruction” was selected from the January/February 2018 issue of Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School.

Lynch, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2012, earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and secondary mathematics education from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master’s in rehabilitation counseling, and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from West Virginia University.

For more information, contact Lynch at 724-946-7185 or lynchsd@westminster.edu.

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