Celebrated by Georgetown students for his creative teaching methods and by fellow professors for his innovative research in mathematical education, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have awarded Professor James Sandefur, chair of Georgetown’s mathematics department, with the 2008 District of Columbia Professor of the Year award.

According to the Carnegie Foundation’s Web site, the awards recognize influential professors who have demonstrated their commitment to undergraduate students. John Lippincott, president of CASE, praised the caliber of the winning professors.

“This year’s U.S. Professors of the Year have demonstrated not just a profound knowledge of their disciplines, but genuine excitement for their work, excitement that is compelling and contagious for those fortunate enough to study with them,” Lippincott said.

Sandefur is one of 46 winners chosen nationwide this year. According to Professor of the Year Awards Program Web site, each candidate is evaluated based on his or her involvement with undergraduate students, contributions to undergraduate education at the university and within the larger profession, teaching approach and overall support from members of the university.

“I am [honored to be] with some of the best professors in the country, but was just as honored that Georgetown nominated me, considering the quality of faculty we have,” Sandefur said.

After being nominated by the university, Sandefur said he was asked to supply three letters of recommendation to the foundation from colleagues and students.

“We are pleased to congratulate [Sandefur] on this important and well-deserved recognition of his work,” Chester Gillis, interim Georgetown College dean and professor of theology, said in a press release. “Throughout his time at Georgetown University, [Sandefur] has investigated how students learn best and has tailored his teaching to respond to the preferences and impediments of his students.”

Sandefur, who has published textbooks and has won numerous National Science Foundation grants for the advancement of curriculum instruction, has researched mathematical education at all levels. He received the Georgetown University Sony Award for Excellence in Science Education for his development of the Introduction to Mathematical Modeling course.

As a fellow with the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, he analyzed undergraduates’ problem solving techniques in participation with the Visual Knowledge Project. The five-year, multimillion dollar research project explored how technology can affect teaching in the humanities.

“I [videotaped] students in my `Introduction to Proof and Problem Solving’ course to better understand how students approach problems and what I could do to help support them,” Sandefur said. “Through this project, I realized that faculty in all disciplines were working to find better ways to help support students learning of critical thinking skills.”

He has actively engaged his students in the learning process, using the “think-aloud” method to encourage his students to talk through complicated problems during class. Sandefur also varies his own teaching with activities and games to keep classes interesting and help students understand abstract mathematical concepts.

“I try to have real contexts and some hands-on activities that make the mathematics and symbols have more meaning for the students,” he said. “I taught an [Ignatius] Seminar on Strategies for Games and Puzzles in which I assigned essays requiring the playing of games such as Texas Hold ‘Em or Monopoly and then reflecting on the strategies used by the students in playing these games.”

Alex Munoz (MSB ’10), a student in Sandefur’s Introduction to Mathematical Modeling course, said that the professor’s dedication sets him apart.

“He really cares about his students and makes himself readily available if we don’t understand something,” Munoz said.

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