Biography

Biography

Dr. Lisa A. Brooks is a senior lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Central Florida. She has experience in public and private K-8 school settings including teaching, mentoring, coaching, and supervising. She has over 27 years of experience in education and has been a full-time faculty member at UCF since 2009. She is an award-winning author who provides professional development for educators, school leaders, and district leaders. She has contributed to national and international education journals and is co-author of Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching Grades K-2 and Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching the Small Group. Her research focuses on helping teachers facilitate student discourse to increase conceptual understanding of mathematics.

Areas of Expertise
  • Elementary Education
  • Mathematics Education
  • Science Education
Certification and Endorsement
  • State of Florida K-6 Elementary Education Certification
  • Primary Education Certification
  • ESOL Endorsement
Education
  • Doctor of Education, University of Central Florida, 2014
    Major: Curriculum and Instruction – Mathematics Education
  • Master of Education, University of Central Florida, 2006
    Major: K-8 Mathematics and Science Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Education, University of Central Florida, 1992
    Major: Elementary Education

Research

Dr. Brooks currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator of a Noyce Track 3 project focused on Catalyzing Change, Empowering STEM Teachers with Earned Doctorates: A Noyce Program for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teachers. She previously served as Project Director of an Institute of Education Sciences research grant, Primary Grades Mathematics Study: a grant to study the impact of professional development on teacher practice and student learning.

Research Interests
  • Supporting the development of communication of mathematical ideas;
  • Improving pre-service and in-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge;
  • Developing strategies to support elementary teachers’ inquiry methods in mathematics

Awards

  • Book (Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching the Small Group) selected as a 2020 Teacher's Choice Award winner for Professional Development. This award honors products of exceptional quality and outstanding performance in the classroom and at home.
  • 2023 Teaching Incentive Program Award (TIP), University of Central Florida
  • Article (Do They Really Need to Raise Their Hands? Challenging a Traditional Social Norm in a Second Grade Mathematics Classroom) selected for listing on MOFET ITEC: International portal of teacher education. This portal consists of abstracts of, "The best papers on teacher education topics from the leading journals in the world in the field."
  • 2019 Instructional Innovation Initiative Award
  • 2016 Teaching Incentive Program Award (TIP), University of Central Florida
  • Outstanding Thesis Award, College of Education, University of Central Florida
  • PRISM Outstanding Mathematics Teacher Award

Courses

  • EDE 6933: Introductory Seminar in Elementary Education
  • EDE 6935: Capstone Seminar in Elementary Education
  • EDG 4410: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Management
  • IDS 6516: Leadership Development for Mathematics and Science Teaching
  • IDS 6937: Teaching Mathematics and Science Using Reform Based Practices
  • IDS 6939 Reforming Curriculum in Mathematics and Science Education
  • MAE 3311: Elementary Mathematics for Teaching II
  • MAE 7367: Instructional Coaching in K-8 Mathematics
  • MAE 4326: How Children Learn Mathematics
  • MAE 6318 Current Methods in Elementary School Mathematics
  • MAE 7367 Instructional Coaching in K-8 Mathematics
  • SCE 3310: Teaching Science in the Elementary School
  • SCE 6315: Methods in Elementary School Science