Jiwon Lee

UC Irvine
jiwonl3@uci.edu

Jiwon Lee, M.Ed., is a doctoral student studying teacher learning and teaching in STEM K-12 classrooms at UC Irvine. She has been involved in a number of research projects focused on teacher learning and improvement.

Prior to her doctoral studies, she has taught K-4 at an after school enrichment program that specializes in creating and using Russian mathematics curriculum. By receiving extensive training and support from her mentor teachers and the principal of the program, she was able to connect the mathematics content knowledge and the pedagogical knowledge to be an effective instructor. Additionally, she has been constantly engaged in learning how students understand mathematics by tutoring students from grades 5 to 12 in mathematics. Her experiences working with students inspired her to learn more about the knowledge an aspiring teacher needs to be effective and to promote a safe learning environment for children. This led her to pursue a masters degree in teaching and learning at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she gained research experience in understanding the specialized nature of teacher knowledge and what dimensions contribute to high quality mathematics instruction.

As a doctoral student, her research interests have shifted towards a focus on equity in the teacher education context. She believes that her involvement in CTERIN will help broaden and deepen her understanding of the issues in teacher education research, policy, and practice. The collective efforts of CTERIN align with her ongoing research endeavors, and she hopes to contribute to the efforts to understand and improve the preparation of prospective teachers, especially those who are placed in underserved communities.