Dr Catherine Smith

Professional biography

I am Professor of Mathematics Education in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, where I lead the Mathematics Education team.

I was educated at Cambridge, IOE and London Metropolitan Universities, where I first completed a mathematics degree, then a PGCE, MA, and eventually PhD in Mathematics Education. After my early years teaching mathematics in secondary comprehensive schools in Hertfordshire and Suffolk, I became a teacher educator and researcher. I have previously worked on the mathematics pedagogy aspects of teacher education, first at Homerton College and Cambridge University, then UCL IOE in London, where I also led the Masters in Mathematics Education. I joined the Open University in July 2017 with responsibility for research and curriculum development in mathematics education. 

Research interests

My main research theme is participation in pre-university mathematics. From a post-structural perspective, I research the discourses of ability, pleasure, gender and exceptionalism that are produced by the current English system in which students choose whether to study mathematics after age 16, and in how these discourses may change as government policy moves towards compulsory mathematics across different pathways. From a practical perspective, I am interested in how teachers learn to teach the connected topics of  advanced mathematics, and how schools and universities can promote girls' and women's participation in mathematics.  

Recent projects have been focused on mathematics curricula, for example considering the alignment of mathematics, data science, statistics and computer science within a future school curriculum, and producing a comparative report of mathematics education in the four United Kingdom Nations for the Joint Mathematics Council. 

I was principal investigator of a research project Supporting Advanced Mathematics, funded as part of the Further Mathematics Support Programme 2014-17, that used research to identify and develop strategies for increasing participation and capacity in A-level mathematics.  Sub-projects included: identifying strategies used by schools with high girls' participation in mathematics; studying the effects on teachers  and departments of engaging with the FMSP to provide Further mathematics, studying the rationale, induction and professional learning effects of teaching A-level in early career. 

I have contributed to mathematics curriculum evaluations both small scale, e.g. for The European Schools, and international comparisons e.g. NCEE's International Instructional Systems Study.

Teaching interests

I have worked on subject knowledge and pedagogy strands of teacher training at undergraduate, post-graduate and masters level, as well as supervising doctoral students.  I am now working on the production and presentation of the OU's undergraduate modules in Mathematics Education and its short courses for teachers on Open Learn.

Impact and engagement

My work on mathematics participation and teaching A-level in early career has contributed to developing a DfE-funded course for new teachers targeted at A-level, and now informs the OU's development of courses for teachers on Open Learn and within the undergraduate degree. The Mathematics Education team work closely with schools and colleges via the Maths Hubs, notably our local Enigma Hub.

I prioritise engaging with the mathematics education research community, and encouraging teachers to read research and relate it to their practice. Current thoughts are shared on Twitter as @itchymaths and through the mathematics education blog http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/MathEd/. 

External collaborations

I am a member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and honorary senior lecturer at UCL Institute of Education. 

Aiming to have an impact on education policy, I chair the Secondary (11-16) expert panel for the Royal Society's Advisory Committee on Mathematis Education. I am on the Expert Advisory Group of the EEF's Centres for Excellence in Mathematics.

I am an editor of the journal Teaching Mathematics and its Applications.

International links

I attend the Language and Mathematics Working Group of the European Society for Research in Mathemaitcs Education, and the Mathematics, Education and Society conferences.