Alexis Jones

Alexis Jones is a PhD student in Curriculum and Teacher Education. She has been a staff development coordinator and teacher in Central Illinois since 1998, and has planned and implemented professional development sessions for elementary, middle, and high school teachers.

Alexis worked as an elementary teacher for 12 years before leaving the classroom for district office experience. During that time, she received National Board Certification, and has a Middle Childhood Generalist certificate.

Alexis entered the University of Illinois in 1990 as a Mathematics Major, intending to use her content knowledge as a high school math teacher. Discovering that her interests lay with younger children, she switched to Elementary Education and received her Bachelor’s Degree in 1994. She later received her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and is now pursuing her doctoral degree.

I firmly believe that math is one of the most interesting, exciting, and useful subjects that students have an opportunity to learn every day. During my teaching career I constantly looked forward to finding unique ways to engage my students in math lessons. As a staff development facilitator, I sought out research-based strategies and encouraged hands-on math experiences for elementary students. I hope that my experiences as a PhD student will only help increase my value as a support system for teachers and teacher educators!