Research

My research efforts revolve around several themes including: the integration of mathematics and science (with respect to both curricular design and pedagogical strategies); the impact of reform-based curricula and pedagogy on teachers’ beliefs, practices, and professional development; pre- and in-service teachers’ professional development; and teachers’ tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty in the reform-based classroom.

Since coming to the University of Colorado, I have had several significant research projects that include:

NAE/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship: Teachers’ Tolerance for Discomfort
This project explored the ways in which teachers engage discomfort that arises in the reform-based classroom of today. This work developed a framework for understanding the ways in which teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, beliefs about mathematics, and their dispositions toward teaching and learning influenced their decisions and reactions in moments of uncertainty. A summary of this research may be found in the following article:

Frykholm, J.A. (2004). Teachers’ Tolerance for Discomfort: Implications for Curricular Reform in Mathematics. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Vol. 19(2), pp. 125-149.

Earth Systems Connections (funded by NASA)
This project consisted both of developing a theoretical framework for the integration of mathematics and science content in the elementary grades, as well as the development of 8 curriculum modules containing over 100 lesson activities. The project received “exemplary” status as result of a NASA review of curriculum materials, and we are in the stages of negotiating with various publishers for the rights to the program. Information and samples from the program can be found at: http://www.ias.sdsmt.edu/RSEL/Outreach/ESC/ESC_CD/WELCOME.HTML

Studying the Transition from Arithmetic to Algebraic Reasoning (funded by IERI)
This large collaborative project is a joint effort between researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of Wisconsin, and Carnegie Mellon University. This 5-year project explores the teaching and learning of Algebra. A great deal of information about the project can be found at: http://algebra.colorado.edu/

I will be on research leave for the 2006 calendar year to pursue research interests in Santiago, Chile, as a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars.