Title(s): Assistant Professor

Education: Ph.D, Carnegie Mellon University

Affiliations:

Research interests:

The central purpose of my research is to understand the processes used in advanced mathematical thinking, particular those with reading, writing, and understanding mathematical proof. I try to specify what understandings, skills, and beliefs undergraduates should develop in their advanced mathematics courses, and compare these with the understandings, skills, and beliefs that undergraduates actually possess. This can be useful in specifying deficiencies in instruction in upper-level mathematics courses.

My current project involves students' evaluation and comprehension of mathematical arguments. The first part of this project consists of identifying the skills and dispositions that mathematics majors often lack that prevent them from reading mathematical arguments appropriately. The second part involves developing instruction to address these difficulties.

Recent publications:

K. Weber, C. Maher, A. Powell, and H.S. Lee (2008). Learning opportunities from group discussions: Warrants become the objects of debate. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 68, 247-261.

K. Weber (2008). How mathematicians determine if an argument is a valid proof.  Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 39, 431-459.

K. Weber (2006). Investigating and teaching the thought processes used to construct proofs. Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education, 6, 197-232.

K. Weber (2005). Students' understanding of trigonometric functions. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 17(3), 97-118.

K. Weber and L. Alcock (2005). Using warranted implications to understand and validate proofs. For the Learning of Mathematics, 25(1), 34-38.

K. Weber and L. Alcock (2004). Semantic and syntactic proof productions. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 56, 209-234.

K. Weber (2001). Student difficulties in constructing proofs: The need for strategic knowledge. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 48, 101-119.

Click CV for complete list of journal articles.