Micah Stohlmann
Professor of Teaching & Learning
College of Education
It was a no-brainer for Micah Stohlmann to follow in his parents' footsteps to become a teacher. After teaching in California and Minnesota and piling up a M.Ed. and Ph.D. along the way, Stohlmann is ready to start working with Nevada's current and future teachers to improve mathematics education.
What drew you to your profession? Too often I heard people say that they just never got math or that they do not like math. I am driven to improve education so that students have positive feelings toward mathematics and are successful learners. I want to make sure that students see the power of mathematical thinking and how it is useful for their lives.
What do you find as the most interesting thing about your field? The most interesting thing about my field is the new possibilities for mathematics education as technology improves and more real-world data is readily available. There are more ways to use mathematics to help students become innovative, technologically savvy, synthesizers of information, and good communicators.
What is the biggest misconception about your field? That people in mathematics education do not like to collaborate with people in other fields or subjects.
What has surprised you about your field? There is much that is known about the teaching and learning of mathematics, but there are many questions still to investigate. As technological capabilities increase there are a variety of new avenues for the teaching and learning of mathematics that require research.
Research Field? My research interests lie in real world mathematics education infused with technology. This focus could take different forms including Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) integration, mathematical modeling, and statistics. I am interested in using these types of curricula to help all students increase their knowledge of mathematics and at the same time develop valuable skills for their lives.
You are coming to a community in which the school district ranks very low nationally in success - what do you see personally as your role in changing that? I am going to work with current teachers and pre-service teachers to make mathematics applicable and meaningful to students' lives. In real life people rarely solve problems using knowledge from only one subject matter. That is why I believe that teaching mathematics by integrating other subjects gives students more realistic problem-solving abilities. It is vital that students see the importance of mathematical knowledge for their lives and that it can provide opportunities in the future.
What do you see personally as your role in changing that? There is no easy solution. Great teachers can make a world of difference but it does take a village to raise a child. That is why I emphasize the importance of everyone's role in supporting and improving the educational experiences of students in Clark County. Administrators, communities, business leaders, politicians, and families all have a role to play. Education affords new opportunities and is really about changing lives. President Bill Clinton said that, "Intelligence is equally distributed but opportunity is not." There has been tremendous success in mathematics education when there is a culture of high expectations for all students and a shared goal of success that includes families and communities.
What kind of professor would you like your students to remember you as? One of my favorite poems is The Dash by Linda Ellis. If you have not read it, it is worth the time. It talks about a man who spoke at the funeral of a friend. Everyone will have dates on his or her tombstone, but what matters is the dash; how the time was spent between birth and death. I would like my students to remember me as someone who tried to make every day count and who worked hard to help them become excellent teachers or researchers.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I write children's books. My most recent book is called The Little Engineer That Could. I developed the book partially by connecting ideas from the popular children's book The Little Engine That Could. Fans of this book will recognize the familiar phrase "I think I can" throughout my book and the importance of persistence
Can't work without? My water bottle.
Favorite hobbies outside of work? I like to exercise including golf, skiing, basketball, running, or lifting weights. I also like to play the piano.
If you could fix one thing in the world what would it be? Based on my Christian faith, I think Jesus' death and resurrection was the greatest fix that the world has known. If I could fix one thing though, it would be that all people could have freedom of religion in their country.
Favorite spot on campus so far? Any place with shade. I am still getting used to the heat.
Who is your hero? My parents, who are both teachers. They taught me the most important lesson that I have learned about education -- that I teach students and not a subject. You first get to know students, their strengths and how you can help them, and then the subject matter will follow.
