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College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Jeffrey Barrett

Professor
Mathematics
Office
STV Stevenson Hall 329D
Office Hours
3:00 PM until 5:00 PM on Wednesdays
Office Phone
(309) 438-7849office
phone
Email
jbarrett@ilstu.eduemail
Website
about.illinoisstate.edu/jbarrett/website
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • Research

Biography

Jeffrey E. Barrett is Professor of Mathematics Education and Associate Director of the Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology at Illinois State University.

Current Courses

152.001Dimensions Of Mathematical Reasoning

152.002Dimensions Of Mathematical Reasoning

152.003Dimensions Of Mathematical Reasoning

131.001Geometric Reasoning: Geometry As Earth Measures

304.001Modern Geometry For Middle School Teachers

Teaching Interests & Areas

Since 1997, I have taught a variety of courses including content courses for non-majors, methods courses for undergraduate majors, courses designed for practicing teachers, and graduate courses for Ph.D. or Masters -level students. I am interested in teaching about cognition and measurement, as well as the content of geometric reasoning. I am also interested in teaching about the use of dynamic computer tools for pedagogy such as dynamic geometry software in K-12 schooling.

Research Interests & Areas

Primary research interests include the learning and teaching of the mathematics of measurement, geometric reasoning, the use of computer software to model mathematical ideas, and the professional development of teachers engaged in teaching elementary and middle-school level mathematics or science. Dr. Barrett served as Principal Investigator of two NSF-funded projects: "Learning Trajectories to Support the Growth of Measurement Knowledge: Pre-K through Middle School" and "A Longitudinal Examination of Children’s Developing Knowledge of Measurement: Mathematical and Scientific Concept and Strategy Growth from Pre-K to Grade 5". Both projects were part of the Discovery Research K-12 Program of the National Science Foundation.

BS Applied Mathematics

Biola University
La Mirada, CA

MS Elementary Education

State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY

Ph D Mathematics Education

State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY

Outstanding College Researcher in Sciences and Mathematics

College of Arts and Sciences
2018

Alumni of the Year

Department of Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo, SUNY
2009

Member of the Million Dollar Club

Illinois State University
2009

Book Review

Barrett, J.E. (2022). Analyzing the development of children’s thinking: a review of “learning and teaching early math: the learning trajectories approach”. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 25, 257–262.


DOI:10.1007/s10857-022-09533-8
Miller, A. L., & Barrett, J. E. (2016). Surveying current research on young children’s mathematical learning [Book review]. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 47(3), 312–316. doi:10.5951/jresematheduc.47.3.0312

Book, Authored

Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Klanderman, D., & Behnke, D. (2017). A Pleasure to Measure. (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics): Reston, VA.

Book, Chapter


Barrett, J. E., Wickstrom, M. H., Tobias, J. M., Cullen, C. J., Cullen, A. L., & Baek, J. M., (2019), Chapter 3: Children’s Measurement Project. In P. Sztajn, P. H. Wilson (Eds.), Learning Trajectories for Teachers: Designing Effective Professional Development for Math Instruction. (pp. 48-74). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Smith, J. P., & Barrett, J. E. (2017). The learning and teaching of measurement: Coordinating quantity and number. In J. Cai (Ed.), Compendium for Research in Mathematics Education. (pp. 355-385): Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Barrett, J. E., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Miller, A. L., Cullen, C. J., Van Dine, D. W., . . . Klanderman, D. (2017). Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for area. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 129–148). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Miller, A. L., Eames, C. L., Kara, M., & Klanderman, D. (2017). Area in the middle and later elementary grades. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 105–127). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Cullen, C. J., Barrett, J. E., Kara, M., Eames, C. L., Miller, A. L., & Klanderman, D. (2017). Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for volume. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 181–201). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Conference Proceeding

Mooney, E., & Barrett, J. E. (2020). Using Design-Based Tasks to Teach Area Measurement, In Sacristán, A.I., Cortés-Zavala, J.C. & Ruiz-Arias, P.M. (Eds.). "Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education,Mexico". Cinvestav / AMIUTEM / PME-NA.  https:/doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020 (pp. 689-693).

O’Dell, J. R., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Rupnow, T. J., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Rutherford, G., & Beck, P. S. (2017). Using a Virtual Manipulative Environment to Support Students’ Organizational Structuring of Volume Units. In E. Galindo & J. Newton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1329–1336). Indianapolis, IN: Hoosier Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
Beck, P. S., Eames, C. L., Cullen C. J., Barrett, J. E., Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2014). Linking children’s knowledge of length measurement to their use of double number lines. In Liljedahl, P., Nicol, C., Oesterle, S., & Allan, D. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. (Vol. 2) (pp. 105-112). Vancouver, Canada: PME
Eames, C. L., Miller, A. L., Kara, M., Cullen, C. J., & Barrett, J. E. (2013). The longitudinal development of unit concepts in area and volume measurement contexts: A case study. In M. Martinez & A. Castro Superfine (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 171–178). Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://pmena.org/2013/files/PMENA2013_Conference_Proceedings.pdf
Kara, M., Miller, A. L., Cullen, C. J., Barrett, J. E., Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2012). A retrospective analysis of students’ thinking about volume measurement across grades 2-5. In L. R. Van Zoest, J. Lo, & J. L. Kratky (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1016–1023). Kalamazoo, MI.

Journal Article

Rupnow, T., O’Dell, J. R., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Rutherford, G. (2022). Children’s Construction of a Volume Calculation Algorithm for a Rectangular Prism with a Dynamic Virtual Manipulative, Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2022.100998
Sarama, J., Clements, D. H., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Hudyma, A., & Vanegas, Y. (2022). Length measurement in the early years: teaching and learning with learning trajectories, Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 24:4, 267-290, DOI: 10.1080/10986065.2020.1858245
Eames, C., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C., Ruthersford, G., Klanderman, D., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., & Van Dine, D. (2020). Examining and Developing Fourth Grade Children’s Area Estimation Performance, School Science and Mathematics, 120 (2), 67-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12386

Cullen, A., & Barrett, J. E. (2019). Area Measurement: Structuring with Nonsquare Units, in Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2019.1608619

Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Van Dine, D. W., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Hudyma, A., . . . Eames, C. L. (2018). Evaluation of three interventions teaching area measurement as spatial structuring to young children. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 50, 23–41. doi:10.1016/j.jmathb.2017.12.004

Presentations

Mooney, E., & Barrett, J. E. (2021). I co-presented a talk entitled, Using Design-based tasks to explore area measurement. This research presentation was given through a distance education arrangement as a virtual seminar, as part of the 2021 Midwest Annual Robert Noyce Conference, hosted by the Center for Math Science and Technology at ISU, on February 6, 2021. 

Barrett, J. E., & O’Dell, J. (2019, March). Development, Refinement, and Evaluation of Learning Trajectories for Geometric Measurement. I presented a research report in a symposium at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, in Baltimore, MD, March 20-23, 2019.

Tillema, E., Barrett, J. E., & Lee, H.Y. (2019, April). Middle Grades and High School Students Three-Dimensional Reasoning. I presented a research report in this symposium at the Research Conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, held in San Diego, CA, April 1-3, 2019.

Barrett, J. E. (2018), Teaching Multiplication with Area Measurement Models, a talk presented at the 33rd Annual Conference on Teaching Mathematics, Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Southern Section, at Carbondale, IL, on February 15, 2018.

Barrett, J., Confrey, J., Stephens, A., Sarama, J. & Rich, K., (2018). I participated in a 75 minute panel presentation: The Ongoing Process of Validating or Adapting Learning Trajectories Over Time, at the “Discovery Research PreK-12 PI Meeting" of the National Science Foundation, held in Washington, D.C. The panel was chaired by Jere Confrey, on June 7, 2017.

Nickels, M. L., Barrett, J. E. (2018). Measurement Concepts in Virtual Reality for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Paper presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, on April 17, 2018.

Barrett, J. E., & Behnke, D. (2015). Ridiculous Rulers and other Zany Measurement Ideas. A PreK-2 Workshop, resented at the NCTM 2015 Regional Conference & Exposition: Nashville, Tennessee, November 19, 2015.

Creating Powerful Learning Environments Based on Learning Trajectories. NCTM Regional Conference and Exposition. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2013)
Development and Use of Learning Trajectories as Tools". CeMaST Symposium Series 2013. Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology. (2013)
Framing and revising a hypothetical learning trajectory for area measurement.. Annual Research PreSession. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Meeting. (2013)

Grants & Contracts

Learning Trajectories to Support the Growth of Measurement Knowledge: Pre-K through Middle School. National Science Foundation: Discovery Research K-12. Federal. (2014)
Mathematical Concept Development through Measurement for teachers of Grades 1 through 5. Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program. (2012)
Mathematics and Science Partnership: STEM Education and Leadership. Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Illinois State University. (2008)
Industrial/Engineering (STEM) Master’s degree. Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois State University. (2007)
A Longitudinal Examination of Children’s Developing Knowledge of Measurement: Mathematical and Scientific Concept and Strategy Growth from Pre-K to Grade 5. National Science Foundation: Discovery Research K-12.