April Strom (she/her) is a mathematics professor at Chandler-Gilbert Community College,, part of the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona, where she has taught for over 25 years. April’s passion for engaging students in active learning in mathematics, developing their conceptual understanding and sense-making abilities, and elevating the joy of learning mathematics comes through in all her work.    In her own teaching, April infuses active learning and Building Thinking Classroom (BTC) practices to elevate students’ engagement and success in learning mathematics. As an official member of the BTC professional development team, April has immense experience in leading professional development workshops with grades K-14 mathematics teachers and administrators around the U.S., in which educators experience BTC practices from a student’s perspective and then reflect on their experience from an educator’s perspective.teaching practices in support of student success t and professional learning approach prioritizes active learning, developing learner’s mathematical conceptual understanding and sense-making abilities, and elevating the joy of learning mathematics. Both as a teacher, and as an official provider of Building Thinking Classrooms professional development for K-14 teachers, These instructional practices are fully entrenched in the Building Thinking Classrooms practices where engaging students in deep mathematical thinking is the primary goal. April infuses research-based strategies in her teaching at the college, as well as in the professional development experiences she provides to K-14 teachers around the country. Her passion for teaching and love of mathematics is a perfect combination when working closely with mathematics teachers and leaders at all levels. 

 

Additionally, April has served the mathematics education community in a variety of roles — as a member of the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction through the National Academies of Sciences, as MAA Vice President, as AMATYC Southwest Vice President, and as ArizMATYC President. April currently serves as the Principal Investigator for the NSF-funded Teaching for Prowess project, which is focused on Building Thinking Classrooms and active learning in the first two years of college mathematics. April also co-led the writing of the Classroom Practices chapter of the 2017 MAA Instructional Practices Guide and served on the steering committee for the 2018 AMATYC IMPACT guide, both of which aimed to elevate active learning in mathematics in higher education. As a first generation college graduate, April received her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (emphasis in Mathematics Education) from Arizona State University, and both her Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics from Texas Tech University. April enjoys traveling, time with her husband (Marcus) and Boston Terrier (Oskar), and teaching students to love math!