Dr. Curtis Pyke

Dr. Curtis Pyke headshot

Dr. Curtis Pyke

Department Chair and Associate Professor, Curriculum and Pedagogy


School: Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Department: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Cross-Disciplinary

Contact:

Office Phone: (202) 994-4516

Mathematics education is Dr. Pyke's area of expertise. He began his career as a middle school mathematics teacher and has taught mathematics in middle school, high school and college.

Dr. Pyke believes that rigorous research ought to drive decision making at all levels of schooling. He is passionate about contributing to the science of learning and the design of high quality curriculum evaluations.

Dr. Pyke is widely published, with contributions to over 60 publications, reports, book chapters and papers on Student Learning of Mathematics, Evaluation of Curriculum Materials, Assessment of Concepts, Engagement with Technology and Teacher Knowledge.

Dr. Pyke is currently developing a research study to enhance the learning of spatial skills and engineering design practices among elementary and middle school students. He is also working on an NIH funded project, Mentored Experiences To Expand Opportunities in Research (METEOR) that places DC STEM teachers on research teams in the Center for Translational Research at Children’s National Health System. Selected teachers participate in research, translate cutting edge research into high school curriculum, increase student awareness of STEM careers in research settings, and increase the capacity of local DC communities to engage current health issues.


Ph.D., University of Albany

M.A., University of Albany

B.A., Potsdam College

  • Geometry and Spatial Abilities
  • Math Education
  • Science Education
  • Teaching Math and Science/STEM
  • Cognition and Learning
  • Assessment, Curriculum Evaluation and Research
  • Quantitative Research Methods
  • Teacher Education

Pyke, C., Tiffany-Rose Sikorski, Rebecca Bray, Colleen Popson (2018). Pre-Service Teachers Developing PCK in a Natural History Museum. In S. M. Uzzo, S. B. Gaves, E. Shay, M. Harford , & R. Thompson (Eds.) Pedagogical Content Knowledge in STEM, Springer International Publishing.

Pyke, C. (2015). The practice of problem solving and modeling with diagrams symbols and words. In E. A Silver & P. A. Kenney (Eds.) More Lessons Learned from Research, Volume I., NCTM.

Lynch, S.J., Pyke, C., & Hansen-Grafton, B. (2012). A retrospective view of a study of middle school science curriculum materials: Implementation, scale-up, and sustainability in a changing policy environment. Journal for Research in Science Teaching, 49(3), 305-332.

Rethinam, V., Pyke, C., & Lynch, S. (2008). Using multilevel analyses to study the effectiveness of science curriculum materials. Evaluation and Research in Education, 21(1), 18-42.

Lynch, S., Taymans, J., Watson, B., Ochsendorf, R., & Pyke, C. (2007). Scaling-up highly rated middle school science curriculum units for students with disabilities: Initial findings and complications for scale-up. Exceptional Children, 73(2), 202-223.

Pyke, C., & Lynch, S. (2005) Mathematics and science teachers’ preparation for National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification. School Science and Mathematics, 105(1), 25-35.

Pyke, C. (2003). The use of symbols, words, and diagrams, as indicators of mathematical cognition: A causal model. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 34(5), 406-432.

Bangert-Drowns, R. L., & Pyke, C. (2001). A taxonomy of student engagement with educational software: An exploration of literate thinking with electronic text. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24(3), 213-234.