Meaningful Math®

Dr. Dan Fendel is Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University, having been an active member of the Mathematics Department at SFSU from 1973 to 2006. His career focused on in-service and pre-service training of K-12 teachers in mathematics, and he was one of the two primary authors of the Interactive Mathematics Program, a four-year, integrated, problem-based mathematics curriculum program for high school students. Dr. Fendel also helped create the comprehensive teacher professional development program which accompanies the curriculum. Throughout his career, he spoke regularly at mathematics education conferences, with talks internationally in Mexico, Chile, Israel, and Japan.

Diane Resek is Professor Emerita of Mathematics at San Francisco State University. During her 30 years in the Mathematics Department she taught remedial algebra, math for elementary school teachers, calculus, upper division courses in algebra, and upper division and graduate courses in logic and set theory. Since retiring in 2005, she has worked on inservice programs for secondary and college mathematics teachers. She is presently developing a new curriculum for remedial algebra courses at the college level. Before receiving her PhD in mathematical logic from University of California, Berkeley she worked as a mathematics specialist in elementary schools, developed inservice mathematics programs for pre-school and elementary school teachers, and wrote scripts for educational mathematics films. While teaching at San Francisco State she developed computer using curriculum for middle school and college students, as well as, a college textbook on Proof and Exploration. She has published a number of papers in the area of mathematics education.

Mathematics has always been the educational focus of Lynne’s life. As a mathematics major in college and after receiving her MA in mathematics education from Stanford University, Lynne taught high school mathematics in Massachusetts, Colorado, and California. During the development of the Interactive Mathematics Program®, she taught the first three years of the curriculum in California. She also taught at San Francisco State University and was a member of the Equals staff at the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley. At Equals, she focused on professional development for secondary teachers, combining mathematics and equity principles to open challenging mathematics to all students. Fluent in Spanish, Lynne taught mathematics while serving in the Peace Corps in Chile; she conducted mathematics and equity inservices in Costa Rica.

For the past five years, she has been promoting equity in mathematics at the elementary and middle school level, working with parents and teachers in their classrooms and introducing the FAMILY MATH program to school communities.

Sherry Fraser considers herself first and foremost a high school mathematics teacher. She has taught every level of traditional high school mathematics as well as teaching all four years of the Interactive Mathematics Program. She currently serves as Director of the IMP Implementation Center, with her primary focus centered on the professional development of teachers. During her 15 years at the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley she was director of the curriculum project SPACES (Solving Problems of Access to Careers in Engineering and Science) and a member of the Equals staff, focusing on increasing the participation of minority and female students in secondary mathematics courses. In addition to working with state and national leaders in math education, she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, England, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Hungary providing materials and strategies and exchanging ideas for how to involve all students in secondary mathematics.