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Deborah Loewenberg Ball

William H. Payne Collegiate Chair; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; Dean of the School of Education

Deborah Loewenberg Ball is the William H. Payne Collegiate Professor in education at the University of Michigan, and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor. She currently serves as dean of the School of Education and as director of a new organization called TeachingWorks. She taught elementary school for more than 15 years, and continues to teach mathematics to elementary students every summer.

Ball’s research focuses on the practice of mathematics instruction, and on the improvement of teacher training and development. She is an expert on teacher education, with a particular interest in how professional training and experience combine to equip beginning teachers with the skills and knowledge needed for responsible practice. Her work is informed by strong links both to the arts and sciences and to professional preparation in other domains.

Through TeachingWorks, she is leading an effort to develop a comprehensive professional training curriculum that spans initial training through at least the first three years of teaching practice, with corresponding assessments to determine whether beginning teachers are ready to be responsible for a classroom of students. This curriculum focuses on a set of core skills and knowledge that are “high-leverage” for responsible teaching. Skill with these tasks of teaching is crucial for all teachers if they are to help each of their students achieve. In addition, the curriculum addresses, in the specialized ways needed for teaching, the subject matter content that is high-leverage for teachers, including essential topics and skills represented in the Common Core State Standards.

Ball has authored or co-authored over 150 publications and has lectured and made numerous major presentations around the world. Her research has been recognized with several awards and honors, and she has served on several national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education, including the National Mathematics Advisory Panel and the National Board for Education Sciences. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Education. She is also affiliated with the university's Institute for Social Research.
 

Administrative Responsibilities

As dean, she is responsible for the academic mission of the school and for the management of its budget, infrastructure, and physical facility.  She leads strategic planning for the school, supports faculty and staff, and provides the best possible academic and professional environments for students.

Ball teaches courses in the following program(s): Teaching and Teacher Education; Mathematics Education; Elementary Teacher Education; Elementary Teacher Education (ELMAC).

Selected Publications

Ball, D. L., & Forzani, F. M. (2011, Summer).  Building a common core for learning to teach, and connecting professional learning to practice.  American Educator, 35(2), 17-21, 38-39.

Ball, D.L., Forzani, F. (2009). The work of teaching and the challenge for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(5), 497-511.

Ball, D.L., Hill, H. (2009). The curious - and crucial - case of mathematical knowledge for teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(2), 68-71.

Ball, D. L. , Sleep, L., Boerst, T., & Bass, H. (2009). Combining the development of practice and the practice of development in teacher education. Elementary School Journal, 109, 458-476.

Ball, D.L., Thames, M.H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59 (5), 389-407.

Affiliations

• Dean’s Office
• Educational Studies

Committees

• Executive Committee
• Academic Leadership Group

Research Affiliations

• Mathematics Teaching and Learning to Teach Project
• Center for the Study of Instructional Improvement
• Consortium for Policy Research in Education
• mod4
• TeachingWorks

Projects

• Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics
• Dev-TE@M

Grants

3/13/2012 - ongoing	Building Practical Infrastructure for Learning to Teach the Common Core: Video Exemplars, Curriculum Packages, and Assessments Granting Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
2/1/1992 - 1/1/1996	Communication in and About School Mathematics Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
9/1/2010 - ongoing	Contextual Research and Large Empirical Research - Developing the theory of mathematical knowledge for teaching by investigating its nature, measurement, and growth Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
2/1/1998 - 1/1/2001	Crossing Boundaries: Probing the Interplay of Mathematics and Pedagogy in Elementary Mathematics Teaching Granting Agency: Spencer Foundation
2/1/2002 - 1/1/2004	Design, Validation, and Dissemination of Measures of Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
2/1/2003 - 1/1/2009	Design, Validation, and Dissemination of Measures of Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
7/1/2010 - 1/7/2013	Developing Mathematics Teaching through Focused Collaborative Assessment of Practice Granting Agency: U.S. Department of Education/Institute of Education Sciences
9/1/2011 - ongoing	Developing Teaching Expertise in K-5 Mathematics Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
2/1/2001 - 1/1/2005	Developing a Practice-Based Theory of Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
7/1/2006 - 1/1/2012	Developing an Integrative Assessment System for Elementary Teacher Education Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
3/1/2002 - 1/1/2006	Learning Mathematics for Teaching Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
2/1/1989 - 1/1/1993	Learning to Teach Mathematics for Understanding: Multimedia Case-Based Elementary Teacher Preparation Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
8/3/2011 - ongoing	Measures of Effective Teaching Longitudinal Database Granting Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation / ISR
2/1/2002 - 1/1/2006	Scaling Up Instructional Improvement Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
8/15/2010 - 7/31/2012	The Design of Research-in-Instruction Laboratories Granting Agency: National Science Foundation
2/1/2005 - 1/1/2011	Using Practice as a Site to Learn Mathematics for Teaching: Developing Materials, Approaches, and Professional Community Granting Agency: National Science Foundation

Courses

Term	Catalogue Course Description	Syllabus
Winter 2012	EDUC 118. Introduction to Education: Schooling and Multicultural Society	EDUC 118. Schooling in a Multicultural Society
Winter 2012	EDUC 406. Teaching in the Elementary School	EDUC 406. Managing to Teach
Fall 2011	EDUC 790. Foundations of Schooling	EDUC 790. Social Foundations of Education

Last edited by Elena Godin on Thu, February 14, 2013 - 1:10:34