Lizhen Chen
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
Western Washington University
I am a former K-12 teacher and an assistant professor of mathematics education at Western Washington University. I teach early childhood, elementary, and middle school mathematics content and methods courses to preservice teachers. My philosophy of effective teaching practices is embodied in the use of culturally relevant pedagogy by means of a) creating a safe learning environment where students’ unique cultural values and lived experiences are acknowledged, b) promoting students’ diverse intellectual participation, c) using effective teacher questions to access and enhance students’ diverse thinking, and d) applying equitable assessments to track students’ learning progressions and inform subsequent teaching.