Summary
Dr. Teruni Lamberg is a Professor of Elementary Mathematics Education and Program Coordinator for the Master of Elementary Education, Master of Science in Elementary Education, and the STEM Doctoral Program at the University of Nevada, Reno.
A dedicated educator and nationally recognized scholar, Dr. Lamberg brings over 20 years of experience working with teachers, schools, and districts across the country. She is passionate about preparing the next generation of educators and researchers to make meaningful, research-driven impacts in classrooms and communities.
Dr. Lamberg’s research centers on improving how mathematics is taught and learned in real-world classrooms. She leads innovative projects that help teachers refine their instructional practices and explore how students learn within authentic settings. Her work also examines the leadership and systems-level strategies needed to sustain effective educational change.
She has served in multiple national leadership roles, including Chair and Conference Chair for the Psychology of Mathematics Education and current Chair of the American Educational Research Association’s Special Interest Group: Research in Mathematics Education. She also served on the boards of the Nevada Mathematics Council and California Mathematics Council.
Dr. Lamberg is the author of seven books and has published in top-tier journals such as Educational Researcher, Journal of Mathematical Thinking and Learning, Mathematics Teacher Educator, Teaching Children Mathematics, and the Journal of STEM Education.
She has led several major grant-funded initiatives, including the Nevada Math Project, Northeastern Nevada Math Project, and the Lemelson STEM Cohort, all of which have successfully improved teaching quality and student achievement in mathematics and STEM fields.
Whether you are a student seeking to deepen your expertise, a funder looking to support transformative educational work, or a colleague in the field, Dr. Lamberg brings the vision, experience, and leadership to drive meaningful innovation in mathematics education.
Representative publications
Lamberg, T. (2018). Leaders Who Lead Successfully: Guidelines for Organizing to Achieve Innovation, Roman and Littlefield.
Lamberg, T. (2018). Conducting Productive Meetings: How to Generate and Communicate Ideas for Innovation. Roman and Littlefield.
Research
Institutional context/leadership – How to support systematic change through Leadership.
Lamberg, T. (2016). The design of a Professional Development Project aimed at creating System Wide Change: A Mathematics Education Scale-up Project. Proceedings of Educating the Educator Conference. Freiburg, Germany.
Lamberg, T., Lakey P., Keppelman, E., Olson, T., & Shih, J. (2015). Nevada Mathematics Project: Evaluation of a Statewide Professional Development Partnership.Conference Proceedings, RCML Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cobb, P., Dean, S., Lamberg, T., Visnovska, J., & Zhao, Q. (2010). The institutional setting of mathematics teaching and learning. In E. Yackel, K, Gravemeijer, & A. Sfard (Eds.), A Journey into mathematics education research: Insights from the Work of Paul Cobb. New York: Springer.
Cobb, P., McClain, K., de Silva Lamberg, T., & Dean, C. (2003). Situating teachers' instructional practices in the institutional setting of the school and school district. Educational Researcher 32 (6), 13-24.
STEM education – Research interest in using STEM as a context to teach math such as through Project Based Learning.
Lamberg, T. Trzynadlowski, N. (2015) How STEM academy teachers conceptualize and Implement STEM education. Journal of Research in STEM Education. Vol 1, No1, p.45-58
Lamberg, T. d. (2007). Designing professional development within the STEM disciplines. In Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Conference. Reno, Nevada.
Teacher education – Research interest in supporting teachers to effectively support mathematical learning.
Amador, J., & Lamberg, T. (2013). Learning trajectories, lesson planning, affordances, and constraints in the design and enactment of mathematics teaching. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 15(2), 146-170.
Moss, D, Bertolone-Smith, C & Lamberg, T. (2017). Influence of Daily Reflection on a Middle School Teachers Practice, Proceedings of the International Group of the Psychology of Mathematics Education Northern American Chapter Proceedings, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Lamberg, T. (2016). A Framework for Shifting Teachers’ Instructional Approaches to Inquiry-Based Approaches. Educating the Educators Conference, Freiburg, Germany.
Lamberg, T. (2019). Work Smarter, Not Harder: A Framework for Math Teaching and Learning. Roman and Littlefield.
Lamberg, T. (2012). Whole-Class Mathematics Discussions: Improving In-depth Mathematical Thinking and Learning. Pearson Publishers. Boston, MA.
Lamberg, T. & Koyen, L & Moss, D. (2020). Supporting Teachers to Use Formative Assessment for Adaptive Decision Making. Mathematics Teacher Educator\
Moss D. & Lamberg, T (2019) Conceptions of expressions and equations in early algebra: A learning trajectory. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, 20(2), 170-92.
Children’s Mathematical Thinking and Design Research
Lamberg, T. & Middleton, J.A (2009). Design research perspectives on transitioning from individual micro genetic interviews to a whole class teaching experiment. Education Researcher Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 233–245.
Lamberg, T. & Andrews, C. (2011). Connections: Integrating literature and math. Teaching Children Mathematics. 17(6), pp.372-376.
Lamberg, T & Campbell, G. (2016). Smarter Balanced Grade 3, Barrons
Moss D. & Lamberg, T (2019) Sixth-grade students’ understanding of expressions, equations, and functions: An analysis of the emerging learning trajectory. International Journal of Mathematics Education.
Moss, D., Crocher, J. & Lamberg, T. (2018) Frustrations with Understanding Variables? It’s Natural! Teaching Children Mathematics.
Education
- Post doctorate: Vanderbilt University, 2001-2004
- Ph.D., Arizona State University
- M.A., Arizona State University
- B.A., University of Texas at Austin