Dr. Sam Prough joins the Ball State Department of Mathematical Sciences as an Assistant Professor.

What is your journey to Ball State?

Before Ball State, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware. I worked with elementary students and their teachers to facilitate classroom discussions in mathematics and consider how they were similar to talk in ELA and science classes. I got my PhD in curriculum and instruction (mathematics education and gender studies focus) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before returning to school to research mathematics education, I was a mathematics teacher in northern Indiana.

I am excited to be at Ball State because of the intentional focus on teaching and learning I see from the university and the other faculty. The other folks in the department truly support Ball State preservice teachers and the larger Muncie community teachers in mathematics education. I knew that was the kind of environment I wanted to join.

What are your research and teaching interests?

My research interests center on elementary and early childhood mathematical learning. Some particular topics I study include elementary teachers’ use of whole classroom discussion across content areas, students’ equitable participation in mathematics learning, and how families of young children engage with mathematics outside of school.

In teaching, I love to work with future elementary teachers. This fall, I am teaching a methods course for preservice elementary teachers and an elementary mathematics content course. I love supporting future teachers in thinking deeply about mathematics and authentic ways to help their future students learn mathematics.

What are some of your goals for your first year here?

In this first year, I hope to develop relationships with the local elementary schools and develop plans for future research together with teachers about children’s mathematical learning.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I like to read and crochet. I lead a book club that meets once a month. One of our recent favorites was Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia). I have been crocheting for over two decades and try to make more complicated wearable garments, like the sweater I’m wearing in the picture above.

For more information about the Department of Mathematical Sciences and other faculty, visit our website, blog, or contact our office.