Dusty Jones: Hello, and thank you for listening to the Teaching Math Teaching Podcast. The Teaching Math Teaching Podcast is sponsored by the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, a community of math teacher educators learning to teach math teachers better. I'm your co-host, Dusty Jones, and joining me today are Jen Wolf. Hi, Jen.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: Hey, Dusty.

Dusty Jones: And Joel Amidon.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Hey, Dusty!

Dusty Jones: Today, we are talking with Dr. Colleen Eddy, who is a full professor and chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Administration at the University of North Texas. We're talking to Colleen because of her role as president of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning, RCML, and we'd also like to hear more about an upcoming publication opportunity to share about STEM research partnerships. Welcome, Colleen, how are you doing?

colleen.eddy: I'm doing good, thank you, Dusty.

Dusty Jones: And could you take a minute to introduce yourself beyond what I already shared? What did we miss?

colleen.eddy: Well, I've been in math education for over 30 years, and for the first part of that time, I was a high school math teacher and college instructor of math. And then, you know, for over 20 years now, I've been a math teacher educator.

Dusty Jones: Well, we're glad to have you there. When you said over 30 years, I thought, what? No, that can't be, because it seemed like you were just starting when I was just starting, but maybe if I start to count up my years, they're getting close to 30 as well. I will just make a plug at the beginning that Colleen is not… this is not her first time on the podcast, and we'll put a link to a previous episode where you and Travis Olson walked us through how to attend, an AMTE virtual conference. So, we were going back to, I think, first or second season there. But back then, we… and I re-listened to that, we didn't ask you some of these questions, kind of the getting to know you question. So, first of all, how did you start teaching math teachers? So, you were, you were a math, like, was it a high school math teacher, or middle school?

colleen.eddy: Yes.

Dusty Jones: Yeah.

colleen.eddy: No, I was high school.

Dusty Jones: Yeah.

colleen.eddy: And I will tell you that My journey there really came from probably atypical for a high school math teacher is that my journey in mathematics did not start off very positive. My learning disabilities, I was diagnosed with dyslexia at a very early age, and I was in therapy for that through elementary. And so my first really positive experience that I recall, because a lot of my experiences with mathematics was really just indifferent, was in 8th grade mathematics. My peers were in Algebra 1, and I was in Algebra. They didn't even have pre-algebra at the time. I was just in 8th grade mathematics. And, the teacher there just really saw something in me and encouraged me in that. And then that continued on when I was in high school. And when I went off to college and made that my major in secondary education, I really saw it as a way to give back. to others who may have struggled in mathematics as well. And I will tell you, I never thought I would go beyond earning a bachelor's degree. I had my dream job, like many people, I went back to my home… my community where I grew up, to teach mathematics. And I was coaching cross-country and track. I was… I was teaching my dream job, and that journey… diverted, and… I was asked at the time I was, staying home with my children, and I was asked to
 come teach a course at the community college. I didn't have graduate hours of math, so I was teaching developmental mathematics. And they were like, hey, you oughta go get some graduate hours in math. And I had already been on a trajectory to become an administrator at the high school level, really thinking about being an athletic administrator, so I am a certified principal in the state of Texas as well. And then was earning my graduate hours in mathematics to teach college level. And my, advisor at the time really wanted me to continue that work, continue that graduate work. And while I was teaching at a community college, I was asked by Baylor University to come teach teachers of mathematics. And I had never done that before. And that changed my whole trajectory. Because, it was in that experience and the modeling by Dr. Trena Wilkerson and Dr. Rachelle Meyers Rogers. it just opened my whole world, because when I was in college, I'd never taken a course about the teaching of mathematics. And the idea that you could help someone to understand conceptually. And when you think about students whose maybe learning is not fits in the box of everyone else, that's a really huge change to get those hands-on experiences and really make mathematics come to life.

Dusty Jones: Yeah. So, you were teaching… Was it a group of… element… prospective elementary teachers? Is that… were those the classes that.

colleen.eddy: Middle school.

Dusty Jones: Middle school?

colleen.eddy: Yes, I taught the middle grades group.

Dusty Jones: That's great. What was some of the best advice you received, back when you started? doing that.

colleen.eddy: Well, I will just say is, I don't know if I'd call it advice or being just brought into a community of support. I wasn't left on my own. I had faculty and other instructors to have conversations about what I was doing. It was new to me, as much as it was to the students I was teaching. I will say at least I knew the mathematics. as a way of the teaching and the mathematics. Unlike when I started first coaching, they had me coach volleyball, and I never played volleyball in school, you know? So at least I knew the mathematics. I was able to make those connections, and I was able to go see it being modeled so that I could do it. And I think that is, just a mantra I have. Building community is so important. Having a community of support.

Dusty Jones: So, one of the questions that we've been asking, and maybe it's related to building community, I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. I don't want to shorten this conversation. So, what's a word or a phrase, or a quote that helps you center the work that you do when you're teaching math teachers?

colleen.eddy: Well, I just would say a continuous learner. I mean, I've been in this work for over 30 years, and I'm always wanting… I don't ever think anything stays still. As our technology continues to evolve, as our connections across the world are made smaller because of the connection to technology. I think we just need to realize that We are… we… are always learning, and there's always more to learn, and I think… That's one of the best things, you know, for new math teacher educators, when you're coming into this, your mind is kind of blown by how much you don't know, and I would say that is great. It is awareness, and I hope that even those of us who are a little bit more seasoned and have experience realize that we still don't know everything, and we still can. Learn from others.

Dusty Jones: Hmm. That's great. So, if you were to think about someone who was starting out at teaching math teachers, maybe that… community college instructor, assistant professor, graduate student. What advice would you give someone? And maybe, maybe this, maybe you actually have to do this. Maybe you do meet with, you know, incoming or novice math teacher educators. What advice do you give them as they're starting out?

colleen.eddy: Well, first of all, find your community. At the local level. at the state level, and I will tell you my… when I first arrived at UNT, I was the only math teacher educator, and I had come from a place where there was a community already built in a university, so to come to a place where that was not yet present, and I say yet, because I. I like to think we have it now. I was able to create that, so don't feel like someone's gonna tell you. Go look for it. So I built it in the DFW area, Dallas-Fort Worth area. And we actually have some publications from that work together, but then also, not long after, we started the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators of Texas. And what a fabulous community we have here in Texas. I know there are other affiliates, whether it's with AMTE or NCTM, And we just had our conference in Dallas this last week, and they're your friends. I mean, these are people you want to hang out with, that you want to do research with, and that welcomes new people into that group.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): And I know the… just speaking of that affiliate, like, they have the Tea Time. sort of… is it Zoom session, virtual sessions that I know that have been opened up, like, that I've seen, like, hey, and you don't necessarily have to be apart to go and hang out with some good people in Texas.

colleen.eddy: Exactly. So, Dr. Sarah Pratt, when she was president during COVID, started tea time, because people weren't getting together, and that has been… a legacy that has continued, and I appreciate, Joel, you mentioning that, because we're continuing, they're continuing to have those. So, Carrie Cutler is the current president of AMT Texas. And, as you said, you don't have to be a member, so it's a great way to, like, come in, like, I don't have a community, and you don't have to be a member yet. Like, you could just come and be a part of it, and then you go, yeah, that's… that's my people.

Dusty Jones: Yeah, and the AMT Texas dues are not.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Not expensive. So, you know, you don't have to be a member of the state, and you don't have to have much money to become an official member.

colleen.eddy: Which is a very good thing.

Dusty Jones: I'll put a link to my state affiliate of AMTE in the show notes. There you go. Dusty, can I ask a quick question, too? Sure.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Just building off the previous question, and I know, you know, looking back, and actually, Dusty, Colleen was on two previous episodes for…

Dusty Jones: Oh, gosh!

colleen.eddy: Yeah, yeah.

Dusty Jones: both. I'll find the.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): And I put them in the notes ready to go. But anyway, so just knowing that, and also knowing, like, you're in leadership. So you were on the program committee, right? Program committee? Was that Colleen?

colleen.eddy: AMTE.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Yeah, yeah, for AMTE.

colleen.eddy: I wasn't… I've been on program committee, I was the AVP of conferences. I think when I came in one time and visited.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): And then you were, then you're also, you know, in leadership at your institution, and then now, you know, thinking of you as, in leadership, president of RCML, like, what about advice you'd give to somebody that's needs that nudge, you know, you're given the nudge to step in to be in an MTE, but what about that… that… that idea about that nudge into leadership? Like, I don't know. what was that nudge for you? And then also, too, what advice would you have for folks stepping into leadership? Because I think that's something that, you know, can be intimidating for those, like, hey, I'm stepping into this MTE role, but then also, too, thinking about this, how do you, you know, give back to the profession through these leadership roles?

colleen.eddy: I love, y'all, that you said give back, because, they give so much to us. And I would say. One of the great things about us math teacher educators is we really are a community across organizations. And so, I think first. about, AMT Texas. I was actually president of that organization. I was its second president, Dr. Sandy Cooper, who was at Texas Tech at the time, and then Baylor University. was, its first president, and I had the opportunity to really, grow with the leadership in that role, and truly, these are people I enjoy hanging out with. And that's why I say, if there's a place where you really enjoy hanging out, like the Research Council and Mathematics Learning, it's not as large as AMTE. We have around, 200 members. It's a great place, like, when you come, you feel like you're coming to a reunion of sorts. And I will just say these spaces, whether it's the Research Council of Mathematics, or AMTE, or NCTM, I'm sure we could just keep listing all the math ed organizations. Is that these are spaces where you get to share your research, but then you also get to grow from the research that others have been doing as well.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Yeah, I like that, the idea of a community, because I think Jen and I, we've been interacting through various conferences and things, it's almost like, alright, let's continue the conversation when we step into that next, lunch or meeting or research session, whatever. Yeah, I love that.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: And I think, too, the… the first RCML that I went to, I really liked how, graduate student friendly it was, and I think some of the organizations that you've mentioned here is very inviting for, graduate students and people earlier in their careers where they're really trying to figure out what they want to do sometimes, so I think when you can kind of workshop, some of the ideas that you have about what you might want to explore. Going to these different, communities can help you kind of find thinking partners in that work.

colleen.eddy: Yeah, I really appreciate you mentioning that, because the Research Council of Mathematics Learning really talks about building leaders, so we currently have on the board an ex-officio graduate student who's able to be a part of the board. They're not a voting member, but they get to contribute to the conversation. But then, even within the organization, and I'm just gonna share an example, so with And… The publication. So, I was Vice President of Publications. of RCML, as well as I've held other roles, but within the Publications Committee, those individuals are building leadership to other roles, whether it's editor of the proceedings, or being editor of the newsletter. So we're building leaders. They have that support and community in which to do that work. And then they're… they're actually becoming leaders. So we kind of see it as, how can we grow leaders, and how can we transfer that? We know that these are volunteer positions. Let's just be really honest, we probably all have enough service. But, how can we provide support in these service roles where people want to be a part of those organizations, and not just be members, but actually be leaders in those organizations. So, for example, in the Research Council of Mathematics Learning. We've done this for, VP of Conferences and VP of Publications, and we've just done it with our Treasurer role. where you're elected, but you don't go directly into that role. You are being mentored into that role. and you're gradually put into it, so that the work is also shared. So the idea is that, you have that knowledge being shared, transferable from person to person, but then you also have that work shared as well. we do presidents. We usually have, like, a president, a president-elect across all organizations, but we see that occurring in other parts of our leadership as well.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): I really like that.

Dusty Jones: Yeah, I really like how you've got that train… that set up, because… There have been times when, you know, I'm in a new position, and it's just like, oh, figure this out, you know, here's what the person did, or here's a binder, and I look in the binder, and I… maybe it's a great binder, but I can't interpret it, or maybe it's a terrible binder. And I know that I, if I had to leave a binder for somebody for what I do, it would… it would… it would be terrible. Because I haven't been working on my binder, but But I'm thinking of this kind of shadowing, mentoring… I just like the idea… I like what you said about you want to build leaders, and then you're taking steps. So that your practices reflect what the words are that you're saying, you know, that the mission and the actual events kind of line up, that's great. somebody like you, Colleen, who's been in leadership in several different organizations, you know, we've mentioned some of the work you've done with AMTE, or AMTE Texas, or, were you on some membership, or something in TCTM as well? Or…

colleen.eddy: Yes, I was a VP… I've been the VP of Publications at several organizations.

Dusty Jones: That's so…

colleen.eddy: I thought I might have been in program, you know, with AMT.

Dusty Jones: So, so there's lots of… lots of different things that you're learning that you can take, you know, I guess on the one hand, oh, you were the… the, say, VP of publications for this state-level organization, now you can take that knowledge and maybe apply that and be in that role, or in a similar role at a larger organization, or vice versa. You know, you can kind of transfer those, but then as a leader, as president of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning, I really like how You guys are structuring And I'm sure some of this goes from before you were the president, some of those things…

colleen.eddy: Correct.

Dusty Jones: And so that's also important to, kind of remember the work that other people have done, and try to build on that as well to help others.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: Colleen, I wonder if, You have any, like, so we're talking about, like, advice, and you've put on many hats in different roles with different organizations around publications, and a lot of our audience, right, they… they publish, they write, And so I'm just kind of curious, do you have advice for folks that, you know, for publications, for writing blogs, or whatever, you know, you might be able to offer up as someone who sits on the other side of the publications, like the reviewing process, or any kind of tidbits of information that Or advice that you'd have to offer people who… Are trying to publish and write and get their ideas out there.

colleen.eddy: Well, I will say, I have, and I continue to do, I receive monthly, multiple requests to review articles, and I accept one a month. So that's my goal. One a month, I commit to reviewing an article. And there's several good reasons for doing that. First, if you're a graduate student, I know several of the journals support graduate students doing that alongside their advisors, mentees, and I think it's a great experience, so they can kind of explain the process of reviewing. But it also keeps you updated on the literature, and what is coming in, and what's hot? Like, we know AI is really hot right now, artificial intelligence, how it's being used in the classroom. So, being able to see that cross over into other areas of mathematics education, such as lesson study. or in the teaching of elementary mathematics. It's really a powerful thing. And you are able, then, to then see what is occurring. The other thing about publishing… And I continue to do this. is how long has it taken someone to get back to you to review a manuscript? Look at not just the rankings and the quartiles, but look at the time to the first response. So, the Investigations in Mathematics Learning, which is the premier journal of the Research Council on Mathematics, Learning. it… I just looked today, and it's reached a Q1 status, which is huge. I mean, we've continued to see this journal progress. But I think one of the reasons is our editors and our editorial teams have been really intentional That our reviewers are giving good feedback. And, feedback they can use, whether they are asked to resubmit or revise, but it's actually feedback that can be used to improve the article. And if we can help those who are submitting articles to see… we know the time that it takes to submit an article. Some of us, it's taken two or more years to get an article submitted. So when you get that feedback. If it's timely feedback, right, you're not waiting a year to get feedback, which is… Really discouraging, but you're getting feedback within 3 months? Then you're able to be more responsive to that, and hopefully more willing to make those revisions.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: Yeah, I like that, because it gives, our listeners some ideas around, okay, when you're looking to submit to a journal or any outlet, like, look at what's recently been published, maybe, and see, like, from the time it was submitted to the time it was accepted, like, how long did it take, right? Or look at the journal and who's on the editorial staff, right? To get a sense of, like, maybe what types of feedback you have, or who's on the panel that might Have ideas around the particular area that you're researching, and just checking out all those different venues, and then… One thing that, when you were… as you were talking, made me think about, how long it takes to get a review or a response. Like, when you submit something, maybe jotting down in, like, your calendar when to follow up. If you haven't heard back in a couple of months, maybe now's the time to… Reach out to an editor or whoever's running the show there, right? To see where your, journal or your written piece is in process.

colleen.eddy: I definitely agree, and that's great advice, Jennifer, about reaching out. Don't be afraid. A lot of times, if you're, new to the publication world, you think, oh, I can't do that, but I think reaching out to the editor about… and… Asking for information or needing to know progress because you're submitting your documents up for maybe a midterm review or tenure and promotion, like. just really being upfront, like, I need this information. The journal should be responsive to… to that information.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: Yeah, you don't… I mean, like we say, you don't know what you don't know, right? But it wasn't until after I got tenure and had submitted something that I knew you could, like… it was okay to reach out to an editor and ask for an extension. Like, I didn't know that. I just thought, like, there's me, and then there's them, and they have their deadlines and everything, and I need to stick to that deadline, but I never knew that I could actually ask for an extension, even though…It seems like, yeah, you should just be able to ask for extensions, but that's something I didn't know that you could do. Or reach out and see if you can have a conversation with the editor about, like, the purpose, like, why this isn't a good fit, or it is a good fit, and just kind of get that information before you spend all this time, like, writing it, submitting it, and just waiting. Yeah.

Dusty Jones: I mean, early on, I had a publication submitted early on in my career, and I hadn't heard, and hadn't heard, and hadn't heard, and then I thought, well, I just am going to ask, and it turned out that the editor was just really, really busy with some other life stuff, and I… my article had been accepted, and it was like… I got a really nice email of, I'm sorry that I hadn't gotten back to you, but we want to put your article in. Here's some things that would make it better, but it's, you know, tentatively accepted. And I thought, wow, I might have gone another few months with… with not knowing if I just wasn't… You know, brave enough to send that email and say, hey, Can I have an update?

colleen.eddy: That's a really good point, if it's been too long. We've, my co-authors, on a paper, we found out the editors changed, and our paper had got lost in the transition.

Dusty Jones: Oh, wow.

colleen.eddy: And, That was… it was like, okay, but if we had not reached out, we didn't even know the editors of the journal had changed. And it's a really good journal, and so that we had not been notified, and that it had been kind of lost in the system. you know, reaching out could be significant. And what you were saying, Jen, about Meeting up with the editors could be really important. When you are getting conflicting information from reviews, and the editor in charge. So, typically, the best thing an editor can do is review all the reviewer comments and tell you the main things that you need to focus in on. Because some of those reviews are conflicting with each other. So, if they're conflicting and you haven't been given clear direction, it's okay to ask a meeting with the editor to get clarity on, you know, what should be the main things I should be focusing on.

Jennifer A. Wolfe: Yeah.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): That's so nice. I mean, just even all… all that, just one… I mean, for those that are, again, just stepping into this role, that it's not like you're gonna be shunned away. And I think that's one thing that I tell my new doc students, like, hey, these journals want manuscripts, too, you know? Like, they need them. And so, like, it is a… it is a… man, I can list the MTE editors that were so patient with me, and my authors, like, just trying to get something across, and the fact that they were still willing to work with me, and that reviewers were still willing to provide feedback on multiple iterations of an article, and it was just like… wow, like, the loving care that they had in order to do that, and so I think this is just a great message of. get the conversation going, like, look for clarity, look, and it's not a, like, you know, like in prison, like, you're just sliding something across, and, you know, then the gates shut. It's, like, not like that, back and forth. It's not, like, there can be… there can be conversation.

Dusty Jones: Yeah. So… You're the president of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning. And. You've mentioned a little bit, it's a smaller organization compared to AMTE, I guess, maybe larger than others, but around, you said, the conferences are around 200? people.

colleen.eddy: Yeah.

Dusty Jones: So, can you kind of give us a description of  who are members of RCML, and I know some of them are mathematics teacher educators, yourself included. And also, how can our audience of mathematics teacher educators interact with RCML as an organization?

colleen.eddy: Yeah, thanks for asking. So, I think, Jennifer, you know, like you said, graduate students are welcome in both mathematics and in mathematics teacher educators, but also from our districts. We know that there are math teacher educators, not just at a university level, but in our schools and at the community college, and they're really And they're all welcome. I think one of the things, and I see AMT doing this as well, is being inclusive of those who represent not just mathematics, but the mathematics within STEM. So this idea of STEM is actually, I think, becoming more prevalent, because we already know in mathematics it needs a Having it in context provides better access to students, especially when it's given to them And, and things that they understand in culture, you know? I'm not gonna talk about a problem going skiing when I'm in Texas and there really is only snow maybe once a year. Not all students have experience. Knowing your The culture, knowing your student population is a really important thing. to being inclusive of the students that you're teaching, and I think that, again, I… we just have so much we can learn from each other that it's a space That is great to come and hear and have conversations. That's what's really great about the Research Council and Mathematics Learning. We have our upcoming conference March 5th through 7th in Las Vegas, and I will say our registration fees are very reasonable and include meals, and the hotel room is reasonable. And membership is reasonable. Membership is still under $100. And so, with all these things. when a lot of budgets are tight, it's a space that you come into. So we've already had the call proposals. In fact, people should have received yesterday or today Whether or not they were accepted, and now the people… what's great about that is now those who've been accepted can submit a proceedings paper for peer review, and to be and the proceedings. And it's a great way to get a shorter paper, an 8-page paper, an idea out that's smaller, and it's great for graduate students to get into that I… to that writing mode, and maybe a little bit smaller form, rather than a 30-page paper.

Dusty Jones: Yeah, I was at the last, RCML conference, which was in College Station, Texas, not too far from my house. And, It was a great place. There were… it was a great place for graduate students and others to even share some ideas that were in progress. I really liked that about this… the RCML conference, is you can submit a proposal for something that you're not quite sure you've got it all figured out, but you'd really like to talk to the people who show up at the session with you. And those were some really interesting, and some of them really off-the-wall, ideas, but it was kind of cool that, you know, we could sit there and… you know, it reminded me of, you know, just other times of hanging out with other people, and you have these conversations. It's like, but what is… mathematics, you know? Like, oh, wow, we're getting deep here, you know? So, yeah.

colleen.eddy: I appreciate you bringing that up, and I think the other thing about RCML is because it is smaller. The leadership is available. the organization, but also the journal. Like, you could just have informal conversations. You don't need a special meeting or a session. you know, you're interacting, you're typically at a table with leaders. We're not… you know, we are interjecting, and we have poster session at RC Mount at the beginning of the conference, and again, just being able to have conversations with individuals and with the leadership and the, the journal editors. They're… we're all there, so… It's a really great place where you feel like You don't have to be in the N to be in.

Dusty Jones: Yeah. what we've, jen, you set us up for this about, kind of, some ideas about how to get started with writing, but we just… we… Joel and I just recently saw, an announcement for a special issue in school science and mathematics, Colleen, that you are on the editorial team, I think, for this issue. The title of it is Research in STEM Research Partnerships. At least that's what I think… that's what I wrote down, so tell me if that's wrong. Yeah! And it's… No, it's… It's coming in 2027, but right now, just like those journal editors you mentioned, you need articles, and so there's a call for abstracts for November 3rd, 2025, so if people are listening, you've got about a month, maybe a few days less than that to get something together. Tell us about the issue, tell us what you're looking for in a submission, or if people are listening to this in 2026.What sort of things will they can expect to see in 2027 when the issue comes out?

colleen.eddy: Yeah, thanks for asking about the special issue. What is really great about this, it's in School Science and Mathematics, journal, is where the special issue will come out. I am the editor, and Dr. Trina Wilkerson and Leanne Jones are co-editors with me, and then we have a great editorial team. of Megan Che, Karen Enderal, Sarah Bush, and Tina Mitchell. We, so several of us, when we had our virtual conference of RCML during COVID, Trina Wilkerson was then current president of NCTM, came to do a session. And Megan Che was the president of RCML, I was the VP of Publications. Tina Mitchell was the editor of the newsletter, and Dr. Jamal Young was VP of conferences. And when we got done with their session, we were like, oh my gosh! It was about this idea of collaboration and partnerships, and we realized What in mathematics education is there about research partnerships? And so we are doing that work, but this work is really focused on STEM research partnerships. And we had been reading in articles where people mentioned that there had been this… maybe the term collaboration had been used, or partnership had been used. But what is there out there about research partnerships that could really support those who are beginning? I know a question I get asked, with new faculty is, how can I… where… how can I collaborate with the district? Like, how do you start that? And I think… that information could be more centralized. So that's what we're hoping, is that this particular journal really speaks to, the research partnerships. And, you heard me talk about community already. I talk about communities and practice with, like, Winger's work. Some of you are probably familiar with that. It's been around for a while. And… but this really talks about, the research, partnership, and the need to speak to that specifically. So, yes, you may be doing research. as a partnership, but what makes it a research partnership, and how? And we just have some guiding questions to go along with that, but we really see these as… we're not trying to name all the different types of partnerships. In the call, we name a few of these, you may see, but in no way is that considered an exhaustive list, just meant to kind of generate, hopefully. happily, Ideas and thought around those things.

Dusty Jones: Right. We will put a link to that call, within our, show notes there, and I really hope you get some some good, things. I hope you get something that's surprising to you, that you're like, oh, we hadn't thought about this, but the world needs to know. That's the… that's kind of the cool thing about doing some of these calls for abstracts, is you… you think you know what's going on, and then you… and then you learn more about that. Joel, this reminds me of, some of the conversations you had with, Eva Thanheiser and Courtney Koestler.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Yeah, about, yeah, their call for the, the latest, AMTE book. Yeah, and they, they, they got some stuff they weren't expecting. That was great. Yeah, yeah.

Dusty Jones: So that's… that's neat, and Colleen, with, learning about these STEM research partnerships, I mean, like you said, they get mentioned, or it's kind of a side comment, not the main part of whatever the article or story that you're reading is about, but that was a context that something happened, so tell us more about that. Yeah, I really, really wish you guys success there. And you've got a great team. It sounds like, of people that you just… I mean, I would just enjoy working with them. So… so that's…

colleen.eddy: Well, like I said, that's the great thing about being in leadership. You get to work with great people, and and sometimes comes out of that, you know, collaborations and partnerships and research partnerships on top of that.

Dusty Jones: Yeah.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Well, and not to… just to… real quick, I think what's cool about stuff like this, like a call, and again, you've been a part of a lot of different things with regards to publishing, like. where someone says… well, even just going back to the Courtney Lineva's book on building community, it was like, you know, Jen and I were like, hey, wait, we're doing these sorts of things, and someone is… someone out there has put enough effort to say, hey. the… those things, other people need to know about it. And so even, you think about the specific call for this journal, it's like, you know, there's… there's some… a group that has a partnership, and they're like, wait, wait. this is something that we should write, like, they might… it just gives them encouragement and shine a light on, like, hey, no, this is important, people need to know about it, and you need to please share. And I think that's… that's cool to have these things that… where, you know, some people might not think, well, we're just doing what we're doing, but, like, no, no, no, this is important. So, thank you for, for putting out this call.

Dusty Jones: Yeah.

colleen.eddy: Well, thank you, Joel, for just highlighting that, because that's what we are hoping, that people realize that they're already doing this, but maybe hadn't thought about looking at their research partnership as a paper, and as a way To really… to disseminate to others who would like to do these research partnerships that maybe hadn't Are struggling with what does this look like, especially if they haven't been a part of one yet.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Absolutely.

Dusty Jones: So, Colleen, what is something that you like to do outside of your role of, Teacher and leader of a mathematics education.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Roles, roles, Dusty, so many roles.

Dusty Jones: So many roles. Do you have any time left over?

colleen.eddy: Well, I tell you what I do. You make time for what's important to you, is what I will say. And one of the things I make time for is my family. I have 3 grandchildren. I love to spend time with my family. I love to travel. But on a daily, weekly basis, I love to run, bike, and swim. Swimming and running more. Biking, I kind of tolerate, but… I will just say, I have been doing those things for a very long time. Since my days in K-12. And… it was during COVID, that I realized how much of that was helping me with my mental health as well. And… And when you're in these leadership roles, it can be somewhat, sometimes, mentally and emotionally taxing. And so, besides my spiritual walk, I am a, I do believe Jesus, is my Lord and Savior, and I know that's not for, you know, everybody, so I have my spiritual walk, but I also have my physical, walk as well.

Dusty Jones: Yeah, I figured running was in there somewhere, since you had mentioned cross-country coach and track, and… .

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): But not volleyball, not volleyball.

Dusty Jones: Not volleyball, yeah. Maybe now, I don't know.

colleen.eddy: I feel so sorry for those freshmen that I have coached. Oh my goodness, I hope they have forgiven me.

Dusty Jones: Yeah, they were a freshman volleyball team. I mean, you know, there's room for them later to get a different coach that maybe can help them.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Keep it off the ground, that's all. Come on.

colleen.eddy: Yeah. Don't count.

Dusty Jones: catch it.

Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Yeah.

colleen.eddy: That's so true.

Dusty Jones: Colleen, it's been great talking with you so far. Is there anything else you want to promote or share while we have you here?

colleen.eddy: No, I think you've covered it all, thank you, and I just… Thank you for having this podcast, and just having it open across the forms of mathematics education. I think it's really important that, you know, we see each other not as competing, but as working together. I think we all have very similar goals in that, we want to bring the best. To not only Our pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, but to the students and teachers in the classroom as well.

Dusty Jones: Absolutely. Well, thank you for that. And thank you, the listener, again, for tuning in to the Teaching Math Teaching podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast. We hope you're able to take action on something you just heard, maybe submit an abstract, and interact with other math teacher educators.