Courtney Koestler

Dr. Courtney Koestler holds a B.S. in Elementary Education (Concentration: Mathematics) from Ohio University, an M.A. in New Professional Studies: Teaching from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Area of Study: Mathematics Education) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Koestler teaches courses in diversity studies, mathematics education, and practitioner inquiry. Their major research interests center on diversity, equity, justice, and critical pedagogies in early childhood education, elementary education, teacher education, and mathematics education.

Research, Engagement, and Outreach Interests: diversity, equity, justice, and critical pedagogies in early childhood education, elementary education, mathematics education, teacher preparation, and professional development.

Most Recent Publications:

Koestler, C., Thanheiser, E., Kalinec-Craig, C,., Yeh, C., Jessup, N. and Wager, A. (2024). Justice-oriented mathematics education: A conversation among early childhood and elementary mathematics teacher educators. In B. Benken’s (Ed.) Reflection on Past, Present and Future: Paving the Way for the Future of Mathematics Teacher Education. IAP.

Koestler, C., Felton-Koestler, M., Thanheiser, E., and Sugimoto, A. (2024). Core practices central to connecting mathematics to social and political issues when designing and implementing tasks in elementary classrooms. Proceedings of the 15th quadrennial meeting of the International Congress on Mathematical Education. Sydney, Australia.

Zavala, M., Ward, J, & Koestler, C., Bartell, T. (2024). Building on students’ agency, empathy, and mathematics ingenuity. In A. Friesen, M. Mitsch, & K. Du’s (Eds). Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Early Childhood Education. IGI.

Thanheiser, E., Koestler, C., Sugimoto, A. T., & Felton-Koestler, M. D. (2023). Construct It! What’s in a Name? Collecting, Organizing, and Representing Data. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 116(10), 746-752.

Felton-Koestler and Koestler, C. (2023). Data in your world: Understanding finances. Rourke Publishing.

Koestler, C., Ward, J., Zavala, M. d. R., and Bartell, T. (2023). Early childhood mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice. Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Koestler, C. and Wager, A. (2023). Learning from our animal friends: Mathematizing with the artwork of Ricardo Levins Morales. In C. Koestler, J. Ward, M. d. R. Zavala, and T. Bartell's Early elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp. 138-145). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Newton, J. R., Koestler, C. and McGarry, J.. (2023). Human diversity and disability: Do we all have 10 fingers? In C. Koestler, J. Ward, M. d. R. Zavala, and T. Bartell's Early elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp. 167-175). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Koestler, C., Thanheiser, E., Raygoza, M. C., Craig, J., and Guzman, L. (2023). Early elementary mathematics to explore people represented in our world and community. In C. Koestler, J. Ward, M. d. R. Zavala, and T. Bartell's Early elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp. 208-218). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Koestler, C., Newton, J. and McGarry, J. (2023). Challenging ableist assumptions in mathematics problems. In T. Bartell, C. Yeh, M. Felton-Koestler, & R. Q. Berry III’s Upper elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp. 124-132). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Guzman, L., Craig, J., Thanheiser, E., Raygoza, M. C., and Koestler, C. (2023).  Upper elementary mathematics to explore people represented in our world and community.  In T. Bartell, C. Yeh, M. Felton-Koestler, & R. Q. Berry III’s Upper elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp.204-215). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Felton-Koestler, M and Koestler, C. (2023). 3D Modeling for Water Lesson. In B. Conway IV., L. Id-Deen, M. C. Raygoza, A. Ruiz, J. W. Staley, & E. Thanheiser’s Middle school lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice (pp. 254-262). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Raygoza, M. C., Thanheiser, E., Koestler, C., Craig, J., and Guzman, L. (2023). Middle school mathematics to explore people represented in our world and community. In B. Conway IV., L. Id-Deen, M. C. Raygoza, A. Ruiz, J. W. Staley, and E. Thanheiser’s Middle School lessons to explore, understand and respond to social injustice (pp. 115-123). Corwin Press/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Helfrich, S. R., Hartman, S. L., Dani, D., Felton-Koestler, M., Harrison, L., Koestler, C., Gut, D., Kennedy, M. K., Hicks, S., Middleton, R.A. (2023). A reimagined, research-based clinical model of educator preparation. In S. R. Helfrich and S. L. Hartman's (Eds.) Exemplary clinical models of teacher preparation. Information Age Publishing.

Koestler, C. and Felton-Koestler, M. (2022). Data in your world: Exploring our schools. Rourke Publishing.

Felton-Koestler, M. and Koestler, C. (2022). Data in your world: Communities near and far. Rourke Publishing.

Robinson, M., Thanheiser, E., Sugimoto, A., Penner, D., Han, S. B., Koestler, C., Felton-Koestler, M. D., Bartels, H. E., Thompson, J. A., and Wolfe, L. (2022). Building community in a research project team through identity sharing.  In A. E. Lischka., E. B. Dyer, E. S. Jones, J. Lovett, J. Strayer, & S. Drown (Eds) Proceedings of the 44th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 479-487). Middle Tennessee State University.

Han, S. B., Thanheiser, E., Sugimoto, A., Robinson, M., Koestler, C., Felton-Koestler, M. D., Thompson, J. A., Bartels, H. E., and Wolfe, L. (2022). Connecting mathematics to the real world: One group of elementary mathematics teachers’ experiences. In A. E. Lischka., E. B. Dyer, E. S. Jones, J. Lovett, J. Strayer, & S. Drown (Eds) Proceedings of the 44th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1395-1399). Middle Tennessee State University.

Dani, D., Koestler, C., & Chen, L. (2022, Summer). STEM integration in field experience for mathematics and science teachers. AMTE Connections: Integrating across disciplines and areas in mathematics teacher education. https://amte.net/connections/2022/05/connections-thematic-articles-integration-mathematics-teacher-education

Thanheiser, E., & Koestler, C. (2021). If the world were a village: Learning mathematics while learning about the world. Mathematics Teacher Educator, 9(3), 202-228. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTE.2020.0021

Bartell, T., Koestler, C., & Foote, M. Q. (2021). Mathematics teachers’ understanding of privilege and oppression. Mathematics Teacher Educator, 9(3), 168-183. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTE.2020.0014

Hand, V., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., Byun, S., Koestler, C. and Bartell, T. (2021). Tensions and failures in an analysis of whiteness among a racially and socially diverse group of mathematics teacher educators.  In Andersson, A. & Barwell, R. (Eds.) Applying critical mathematics education (pp. 123–143). Brill. 

Hallman-Thrasher, A., Lui, C., Koestler, C., Strachota, S., & Thompson, J. (2021). Designing and implementing a STEM summer camp. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 81(4), 20-25.

Scroggins, A., Hand, V., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., Byun, S., Koestler, C., and Bartell, T., (2018). Missing the brilliance of scholars of color: Mathematics teacher educator discourse in a white zone of proximal development. 13th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) (pp. 1141-1144). London, UK: International Society of the Learning Sciences. 

Hallman-Thrasher, A., Koestler, C., Dani, D., Kolbe, A., & Lyday, K. (2018). Graphing stories for a three-act task. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 24(2), 90-96. https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.24.2.0090

Felton-Koestler, M. D., & Koestler, C. (2017). Should mathematics teacher education be politically neutral? Mathematics Teacher Educator, 6(1), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteaceduc.6.1.0067

Koestler, C. (2016) Challenging and disrupting deficit notions in our work with early childhood and elementary teachers. In D. Y. White, S. Crespo, & M. Civil (Eds.). Cases for teacher educators: Facilitating conversations about inequities in mathematics classrooms (pp. 113-120). Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and Information Age Publishing.

Larnell, G. V., LópezLeiva, C. A., Scroggins, A. D., Amidon, J., Foote, M. Q., Hand, V. M., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., Koestler, C., and Wager, A. A. (2016). Challenging the reframing of equity in mathematical systems: access, agency, and allies. In M. B. Wood, E. E. Turner, M. Civil, & J. A. Eli (Eds.), Proceedings of the 38th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (p. 1608- 1611). The University of Arizona.

Felton, M. D., & Koestler, C. (2015). “Math is all around us and...we can use it to help us”: Teacher agency in mathematics education through critical reflection. The New Educator. 1(4), 260-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2015.1087745

Koestler, C., Felton, M. D., Bieda, K., and Otten, S. (2013). Connecting the NCTM Process Standards and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Practices to improve instruction. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Felton, M. D. and Koestler, C. (2012). “Questions and answers can mean something”: Supporting critical reflection in mathematics education. In R. Flessner, G. Miller, K. Patrizio, J. and Horwitz (Eds.) Agency through teacher education: Reflection, community, and learning (pp. 25-35). Rowman & Littlefield Education. 

Koestler, C. (2012). Beyond apples, puppy dogs, and ice cream: Preparing prospective K-8 teachers to teach mathematics for equity and social justice. In A. Wager and D. Stinson (Eds.) Teaching mathematics for social justice: Conversations with educators (pp. 81-98). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.