Sandy M. Spitzer, Ph.D.

Biography

Sandy Spitzer joined the mathematics faculty at Towson University in 2008 after earning a Ph.D in Mathematics Education at the University of Delaware, as well as a B.A. in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches a variety of mathematics content and pedagogy courses, at both the undergraduate and Master’s levels, for current and future teachers at all grade levels preK-12. 

Dr. Spitzer is heavily involved in professional service in the area of Mathematics Education. She previously served as the Graduate Program Director of the M.S. in Mathematics Education at Towson, working with local schools to establish cohort programs. In 2021, she was the Conference Chair of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (North American Chapter), organizing a hybrid conference with over 600 attendees.  She is also the Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship Program project to build capacity for middle grades STEM teachers around makerspace technology, culturally relevant pedagogy, and teacher leadership. 

Dr. Spitzer maintains an active research program in the field of teacher education, with research interests at the intersection of teacher beliefs, teacher mathematical knowledge, and teacher professional noticing.

Selected Publications

• Olanoff, D., Johnson, K., & Spitzer, S. M., Eds. (2021). Proceedings of the forty-third annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Philadelphia, PA.
• Phelps-Gregory, C.M. & Spitzer, S.M.  (2021).  Prospective mathematics teachers' lesson analysis: Examining their ability to notice evidence and make interpretive claims.  Journal for Mathematics Teacher Education, 24(5).
• Phelps-Gregory, C.M., Frank, M., & Spitzer, S.M. (2020).  Prospective elementary teachers’ beliefs about mathematical myths: a historical and qualitative examination.  The Teacher Educator 55(1), 6-27.
• Spitzer, S.M. & Phelps-Gregory, C.M. (2018).  Using online collaboration to improve prospective teachers' analysis of teaching.  Mathematics Teacher Educator.  6(2), 26-38.