Courtney Koestler

Dr. Courtney Koestler earned a B.S. in Elementary Education (Mathematics) from Ohio University, an M.A. in Teaching from George Mason University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Area of Study: Mathematics Education) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

As a proud former public school teacher and instructional coach, Dr. Koestler has taught and engaged in teacher-research in culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse communities in urban, suburban, and rural schools. Recognized and awarded for teaching, research, and outreach, Dr. Koestler is committed to examining and addressing inequity and injustice in all areas of scholarship.

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

Koestler, C. (Accepted). Children's agency and critical literacy in elementary mathematics. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12.

Koestler, C. and Thanheiser. E. (Eds.). (In Press) Building community to center equity and justice in mathematics teacher education: Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators professional book series. IAP.

Sugimoto, A., Han, S., Koestler, C., Thanheiser, E., Felton-Koestler, M., & Robinson, M.. (Accepted). Dilemmas encountered while planning social and/or political elementary mathematics tasks. School Science and Mathematics.

 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.

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., Wolfe, A., Peasley, T. M., Lisy, J., & Weiss, C. (2024). Teaching on Days After: A case clinic approach to understanding more humanizing pedagogies in early childhood-elementary teaching education. The Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching, 9(2).

Thanheiser, E., Rubel, L., Herbel-Eisenmann, B. and Koestler, C. (2024). Recontextualizing engagement with data visualizations in the context of the social and ecological. Le Roux, K., Coles, A., Solares-Rojas, A., Bose, A., Vistro-Yu, C., Valero, P., et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th ICMI Study Conference (Mathematics Education and the Socio-Ecological) (pp. 378-385). ICMI and MATHTED.

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.

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.

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.

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

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., Hartman, S.L., Dani, D., Felton-Koestler, M., Harrison, L., Koestler, C., Gut, D., Keifer Kennedy, M., Hicks, S., & Middleton, R. (2023). A reimagined research-based clinical model of educator preparation. In S.R. Helfrich and S.L. Hartman (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 Educational Media..

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

Hallman-Thrasher, A., Lui, C., Koestler, C., Strachota, S., and Thompson, J. (2022). Designing and implementing a STEM summer camp. Technology and engineering teacher, 81(4) 20-25.

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’ experience. 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.

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. 

Bartell, T., Koestler, C., & Foote, M. Q. (2021). Mathematics teachers’ understanding of privilege and oppression. Mathematics Teacher Educator, 9(3), 168-183. 

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., 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. 

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. 

Felton-Koestler, M. D., & Koestler, C. (2017). Should mathematics teacher education be politically neutral? Mathematics Teacher Educator, 6(1), 67–72. 

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. 

Koestler, C., Felton, M. D., Bieda, K., and Otten, S. (2013). Connecting the NCTM process standards and the ommon 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.

Other Kinds of Publications

Koestler, C., Ward, J., Zavala, M. d. R., and Bartell, T. (2022, Sept. 22) Why use math to help young learners explore understand and respond to social injustice? Corwin Connect. 

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, 5, 1-7. 

Other Media and Creative Activities

Thanheiser, E., Koestler, C., Sugimoto, A., and Felton-Koestler, C. (2022, May 10). Connecting math to the real world. [Video]. Featured at the 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase: Access, inclusion, and equity. 

Dani, D., Hallman-Thrasher, A. H., Koestler, C., Lui, C., Sandler, N., Stigall, A., and Parsons, J. (2022, May 10). RALLY for STEM. [Video]. Featured at the 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase: Access, Inclusion, and Equity. 

Koestler, C. and Thanheiser, E. (2022, May 4). Building community to center equity and justice in mathematics teacher education. [Audio podcast episode]. In Teaching Math Teaching. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. Hosted by Joel Amidon. 

Bartell, T., Koestler, C., and Foote, M. Q. (2021, Dec.) Mathematics teachers’ understanding of privilege and oppression. [Audio podcast episode]. In Mathematics Teacher Educator. Hosted by Eva Thanheiser. 

Koestler, C., and Thanheiser. (2021, Dec. 15) If the world were a village: Learning mathematics while learning about the world. [Audio podcast episode]. In Mathematics Teacher Educator. Hosted by Eva Thanheiser.  

Koestler, C., Jessup, N. and Thanheiser, E. (2021, May 3) Teaching is never neutral. [Audio podcast episode]. In Jabbedu. Hosted by Jonathan Ruths. 

Koestler, C. and Felton-Koestler, M. (2020, March 22) How to run math summer camps. In Teaching Math Teaching. Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators. Hosted by Dusty Jones, Eva Thanheiser, and Joel Amidon.

Koestler, C. (2019, Oct. 30). Teaching is never neutral. Patton College of Education EDTalk. [Video].  https://bit.ly/KoestlerEDTalk 

Koestler, C. (2018, June 15). Encouraging invented algorithms to support more equitable and child-centered classrooms, Part 2 [Invited blog post]. My NCTM. 

Koestler, C. (2018, May 30). Encouraging invented algorithms to support more equitable and child-centered classrooms [Invited blog post]. My NCTM. 

Koestler, C. (2017, Nov. 28). Math and Science Teaching Challenges with Dr. Courtney Koestler. [Audio podcast]. In Teaching Matters. WOUB Public Media. Hosted by Scott Titsworth.