Raina M. Collins
Papers
1
Total Citations
2
H-Index
1
About
Raina M. Collins is a scholar at the intersection of mathematics education and educational technology, with a primary focus on how pre-service teachers learn to facilitate productive struggle in mathematics classrooms. Her most cited work, “Learning With Robots: Teaching and Supporting Productive Struggle in a Math Methods Course” (2022), directly addresses the 2014 NCTM call for teachers to allow students time to grapple with mathematical uncertainties. Collins argues that pre-service teachers themselves must experience productive struggle when learning and applying mathematical concepts—a novel pedagogical stance that reframes teacher preparation. By integrating robotics into math methods courses, she demonstrates how hands-on, inquiry-based tools can create authentic struggle experiences that mirror what future teachers will ask of their own students. Though early in her career, with 2 citations on this flagship paper, her work is gaining traction among mathematics teacher educators seeking practical strategies to implement NCTM’s vision. Collins’ research bridges theory and practice, offering concrete examples of how to design learning environments where both teachers and students persist through uncertainty—a timely contribution as the field prioritizes resilience and deep understanding over procedural fluency.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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