UBC Okanagan

Office: EME3165
Phone: 250.807.8106
Email: wendy.klassen@ubc.ca
Research and Teaching Areas: Mathematics Education, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Mentoring and Reciprocal Learning Teams

Background: Dr. Klassen obtained both her Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts degrees in Mathematics Education from the University of British Columbia. Wendy completed her PhD in curriculum at the University of Toronto. 

Teaching and Practicum Experiences: Dr. Klassen has teaching experience in the K-12 school system, colleges, and universities in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nunavut. Wendy was nominated for an award of excellence in teaching.Currently, She teaches courses in

• mathematics education for preservice teachers and
• teaching and learning, assessment, and mentoring at the Post Baccalaureate and Masters levels

Concurrently, Dr. Klassen supervises many students in their practicum experiences both locally in the Okanagan Valley and internationally in Australia and Mexico.

Current Research: In 2010, Dr. Klassen received a grant to study and present her innovative project integrating teaching mathematics education part-time at the university and part-time at a local Elementary school.  The title of her research is "The impact of an innovative field based component within the mathematics methods course for pre-service teachers at UBC Okanagan". She is scheduled to present her findings in the Czech Republic.

Scholarly Contributions/Professional Development: The concept of praxis as it deals with pre-service mathematics education is a key focal research area. Others areas of interest and research are mentoring, assessment, problem solving, critical thinking, and gender differences in mathematics. Dr. Klassen has recently co-authored a book with Dr. Raya Fransila on mentoring pre-service and beginning teachers. For over 20 years, Dr. Klassen has been an author of a national Elementary mathematics series, including writing textbooks, instructor’s guides, digital supplements and other ancillary materials. These materials range in grade level from K to 8.