Dr. Amanda Cullen
Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Graduate Student Development
Office
STV Stevenson Hall 326a
Office Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and by appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
Amanda Cullen earned a bachelor of arts in elementary education from Millikin University, a master of science in mathematics from Illinois State University, and a doctorate of philosophy in mathematics education from Illinois State University.
Current Courses
MAT 599.002 Dissertation
MAT 599.005 Dissertation
MAT 599.006 Dissertation
MAT 599.008 Dissertation
MAT 131.001 Geometric Reasoning: Geometry As Earth Measures
MAT 585.001 Topics In Mathematics Education Seminar
Teaching Interests & Areas
Geometric Measurement, Number Theory for Teachers, Teaching Mathematics in Grades 6-8, and History of Mathematics and Mathematics Education
Research Interests & Areas
Children's development of spatial structuring and area measurement concepts;
Children's drawing development (and connecting drawing development research to area measurement developmental progressions);
Inservice teachers' use of Hypothetical Learning Trajectories to inform their instruction; and
Preservice teachers' practicing the practice of teaching
Ph D Mathematics Education
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
MS Mathematics
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
BA Elementary Education
Millkin University
Decatur, IL
Outstanding College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Award (2024-2025)
2025
Outstanding University Teaching Award: Teaching Initiative Award (Pre-Tenure Faculty)
Department (and then College)
2016
Impact Award
2014
Outstanding University Teaching Award: Graduate Student Teaching Award, Department Nominee
Mathematics Department
2010
Book Review
Surveying current research on young children’s mathematical learning
Amanda Cullen, Jeffrey Barrett.
(2016), 47, 312–316, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Book, Chapter
Children’s Measurement Project: Sharing Trajectories with Teachers
Jeffrey Barrett, Megan Wickstrom, Jennifer Tobias, Craig Cullen, Amanda Cullen, Jae Baek.
(2019), Learning Trajectories for Teachers: Designing Effective Professional Development for Math Instruction
Area
Douglas Clements, Julie Sarama, Miller.
(2017), 16, 71–81, Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume., Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Area in the middle and later elementary grades
Jeffrey Barrett, Craig Cullen, Miller, Cheryl Eames, Melike Kara, David Klanderman.
(2017), 16, 105–127, Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume., Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for area
Jeffrey Barrett, Douglas Clements, Julie Sarama, Amanda Miller, Craig Cullen, Douglas Van Dine, David Klanderman.
(2017), 16, 129-148, Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume., Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for volume
Craig Cullen, Jeffrey Barrett, Melike Kara, Cheryl Eames, Miller, David Klanderman.
(2017), 16, 181–201, Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume., Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
Journal Article
Reimagining socio-ecological frameworks within practice-research learning communities
Beth L. MacDonald, Neet Priya Bajwa, Amanda Cullen, Allison Kroesch, Edward S Mooney.
For the Learning of Mathematics, (2026)
Accessing and Assessing Components of Elementary and Middle School Students’ Mathematical Disposition Through Metaphors
Emily Deal, Edward S Mooney, Amanda Cullen, Allison Kroesch, Neet Priya Bajwa, Julien Corven, Beth L. MacDonald.
Investigations in Mathematics Learning, 17 (3), 259-275, (2025), 10.1080/19477503.2024.2419291
Kindergarteners as sense makers!
Allison M Kroesch, Neet Priya Bajwa, Cassandra Mattoon, Agnes M Gonzalez Hatch, Beth L. MacDonald, Amanda L Cullen, Edward S Mooney, Julien Corven.
Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 117 (11), 802-812, (2024), 10.5951/MTLT.2023.0284
Challenging students to experience mathematics as mathematicians
Jenna Odell, Cynthia Langrall, Amanda Cullen.
(2022)
Symbiosis: Social and Emotional Learning and Mathematics Learning
Ruthmae Sears, Jennifer Bay-Williams, James C. Willingham, Amanda Cullen.
Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 115 (11), 770-780, (2022), 10.5951/mtlt.2022.0081
All the way around a circle
Amanda Cullen, Carrie Lawton, Crystal Patterson, Craig Cullen.
Mathematics Teacher: Mathematics Learning and Teaching PreK–12, 113 (8), 637–642, (2020)
Area measurement: structuring with nonsquare units
Amanda Cullen, Jeffrey Barrett.
Routledge, 1-31, (2019), 10.1080/10986065.2019.1608619
Effects of Three Interventions on Children’s Spatial Structuring and Coordination of Area Units
Amanda Cullen, Cheryl L. Eames, Craig Cullen, Jeffrey Barrett, Julie Sarama, Douglas H. Clements, Douglas W. Van Dine.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 49 (5), 533-574, (2018)
Effects of an Intervention on Children’s Conceptions of Angle Measurement
Amanda Cullen, Craig Cullen, Wendy A. O’Hanlon.
International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 136-147, (2018), 10.21890/ijres.382941
Effects of an intervention on children’s conceptions of angle measurement.
Amanda L. Cullen, Craig J. Cullen, Wendy O'Hanlon.
4 (1), (2018)
Evaluation of three interventions teaching area measurement as spatial structuring to young children
Douglas H Clements, Julie Sarama, Douglas Van Dine, Jeffrey Barrett, Craig Cullen, Aaron Hudyma, Ron Dolgin, Amanda Cullen, Cheryl L Eames.
Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 50, 23-41, (2018), doi:10.1016/j.jmathb.2017.12.004
Preservice teachers' pictorial strategies for a multistep multiplicative fraction problem.
Jae Baek, Megan Wickstrom, Jennifer Tobias, Amanda Cullen, Elif Safak, Nicole Wessman-Enzinger, J Vince Kirwan.
(2017)
Preservice teachers’ algebraic reasoning and symbol use on a multistep fraction word problem
Amanda Cullen, Tobias, Elif Safak, Nicole Wessman-Enzinger, Megan Wickstrom, Jae Baek.
International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, 18 (1), 109-131, (2017)
Preservice teachers’ algebraic reasoning and symbol use on a multistep fraction word problem.
Amanda Cullen, Jennifer Tobias, Elif Safak, J Vince Kirwan, Nicole Wessman-Enzinger, Jae Baek, Megan Wickstrom.
(2017)
Preservice teachers’ pictorial strategies for a multistep multiplicative fraction problem
Jae Baek, Megan Wickstrom, Jennifer Tobias, Amanda Miller, Elif Safak, Nicole Wessman-Enzinger, J. Vince Kirwan.
Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 45 (1), 1–14, (2017), doi:10.1016/j.jmathb.2016.10.005
Staircases, skeleton towers, and castles
Melike Kara, Cheryl Eames, Amanda Cullen, Annie Chieu.
Mathematics Teacher, 108 (9), 663-670, (2015)
Editorial: I received a "revise and resubmit" decision: Now what?
Tami Martin, Amanda Cullen.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 45 (3), 286-287, (2014)
Children’s unit concepts in measurement: a teaching experiment spanning grades 2 through 5
Jeffrey Barrett, Craig Cullen, Julie Sarama, Douglas H Clements, David Klanderman, Amanda Cullen, Chepina Rumsey.
Zdm, 43 (5), 637–650, (2011)
All about me-bots: Children’s data representation through glyphs
Camilla Carpenter, Amanda Cullen.
Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK–12
Presentations
vercoming the algebra scaries with spooky towers and skeleton castles
Amanda Cullen.
Mathematics Education Club, Normal, IL, November, 2025
Characterizing teacher vision through a lens of care
Alicia Erwin, Amanda Cullen.
47th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, State College, PA, October, 2025
Making sense of data: Practical classroom activities
Jennifer Talbot, Amanda Cullen.
Math Energy Club, Charleston, IL, March, 2025
How Young Children Solve Problems from Kindergarten through Grade 2
Amanda Cullen, Sierra Strawder, Jennifer Talbot.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, September 27, 2024
Children’s Choice and Use of Tools While Solving Problems
Amanda Cullen, Jennifer Talbot.
Research Council on Mathematical Learning 51st Annual Conference, Columbia, SC, February, 2024
Constructing Models of Relationships
Craig Cullen, Lawrence Ssebaggala, Amanda Cullen.
NCTM Professional Development Webinars, Online, January 11, 2024
Daily data: Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, grade 5-8
Jennifer Talbot, Carrie A Lawton, Amanda L Cullen.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, March, 2022
Math warm-up routines in grade 5-8
Jennifer Talbot, Amanda L Cullen, Carrie A Lawton.
Illinois Council for Teachers of Mathematics 2019 Annual Conference, Peoria, IL, October, 2019