Dr. Daniela Tirnovan

Education

Ph.D. Mathematics Education (2024); Rutgers State University, New Brunswick, NJ
Master of Science in Education in Elementary Mathematics Education (2017); City University of New
York, Brooklyn, NY
Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Philosophy (2014); City University of New York,
Manhattan, NY

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is grounded in socio-constructivist principles, where I believe mathematical knowledge is co-constructed through social interaction and collaborative exploration. I approach mathematics education through sociolinguistic and sociocultural frameworks, recognizing that students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds are valuable resources for mathematical reasoning rather than barriers to overcome. My enthusiasm for mathematics education and multilingual learners is evident from the first day I walk into a classroom. I create learning environments where students actively construct mathematical understanding through discourse and shared discovery. Using tools like Japanese lesson studies and clinical interviews, I guide future educators to listen carefully to student thinking and understand how cultural contexts shape mathematical learning. I want my students to become confident in facilitating mathematical discourse as teachers where emergent multilingual students can leverage their full linguistic repertoires. Through assignments like mathematics autobiographies and community-based problem solving, preservice teachers are invited to honor diverse ways of knowing and doing mathematics. Since joining higher education, I conduct professional development workshops that help teachers recognize how sociolinguistic practices support mathematical reasoning. I collaborate with teachers to implement pedagogies where students use translanguaging practices to deepen their mathematical understanding. In all that I teach, I constantly seek opportunities to become a more effective educator. My door is always open to students, and they know I care about them as future educators. I want them to create classrooms where all students can construct mathematical knowledge through culturally and context responsive practices.

Research

My research examines translanguaging practices in mathematics education, teacher mathematical identities and personified relationships with mathematics, error analysis in algebra learning, and the impact of mastery-based testing on student anxiety and mindsets. I have investigated preservice teachers' reasoning about fractions, elementary teachers' understanding of unit fractions, and relationships between teacher and parent attitudes and student affective characteristics in mathematics. Recent work explores computational thinking as a pathway for mathematics teachers to integrate AI in mathematical learning, mathematical problem-solving patterns, and the interpretability of mathematics without supporting language. Moving forward, I am interested in investigating individual, relational, and communal translanguaging identity development, long-term impacts of critical translanguaging spaces on students' mathematical identities and achievement, and developing teacher education programs that prepare educators to implement translanguaging strategies in diverse mathematics classrooms. Future research will also examine how AI integration can support personalized mathematics instruction for emergent multilingual learners and explore the intersection of computational thinking with equitable mathematics pedagogies.

Outreach

I conduct professional development workshops for K-8 mathematics teachers on supporting emergent multilingual learners, effective use of manipulatives, and AI integration in elementary mathematics. Through community-engaged partnerships with minoritized multilingual families, I facilitate family math nights that center families' linguistic and mathematical expertise, creating bridges between school mathematics and community cultural practices.

Biography

I am a mathematics educator and researcher whose multilingual experiences across different educational systems provided me firsthand understanding of diverse learning contexts. I moved to Mobile in 2025 to join the faculty at USA. I earned my Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Rutgers University, along with my M.S. in Mathematics Education and B.A. in Linguistics and Philosophy. I have taught elementary mathematics, served as Dean of Curriculum and Mathematics Supervisor for grades 3-8, and designed mathematics methods courses, STEAM education courses, and action research methods at the university level. My teaching focuses on mathematics pedagogy, middle childhood mathematics education, and preparing teachers to use clinical interviews and Japanese lesson studies to understand Currently I am teaching mathematics/ education methods courses while working to support the goals of the Alabama Numeracy Act. I serve as Editor for the International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning and have designed professional development institutes for K-8 mathematics teachers. My work spans mathematics content knowledge, pedagogical practices, and innovative approaches to mathematics teacher preparation that support all learners in developing mathematical confidence and reasoning abilities.

Courses

EEC 523

EDU 335