Tutita M. Casa
Assistant Professor

Dr. Tutita Casa’s primary area of interest is in the implementation of reform-based communication or discourse in the elementary mathematics classroom. She currently is serving as the Co-Principal Investigator of Project M2: Mentoring Young Mathematicians, a 5-year, $2,000,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant. The primary goals of Project M2 are to develop challenging geometry and measurement units and a communication model to be used with K-2 students. She is leading efforts to help guide teachers and engage students in verbal and written forms of communication that will encourage students to engage with mathematical ideas in-depth. She also will lead the professional development team in the piloting and field-testing of the units. Urban and suburban schools in Connecticut, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas are participating in the project. Dr. Casa also is interested in preparing future teachers to implement reform-based communication in the teaching of mathematics. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Casa was a fifth-grade teacher in Mansfield, CT and a third-grade teacher in Rome City Schools, GA. She was a track and cross country runner at the University of Florida and continues to run and participate in and watch other sports. As a child, she lived in Germany, Brazil, Suriname, and the U.S. She still enjoys traveling and also likes to cook, do home improvement projects, and, most of all, spend time with her family.

•Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction (emphasis in mathematics education), University of Connecticut, 2004

•Sixth-Year Degree, Educational Administration, University of Connecticut, 2001

•M.S., Elementary Education, Syracuse University, 1996

•B.S., Mathematics, University of Florida, 1994

Contact Information: 

Tasker - 41

Phone: (860) 486-9078
Fax: (860) 486-2900

Email: tutita.casa@uconn.edu

Office Hours:
By appointment

Mailing Address:
Neag Center for Gifted Education/Talented Development
2131 Hillside Road, Unit 3007
Storrs, CT 06269-3007

Current Courses Taught:

EDCI 5092: The Teacher as Leader

Honors/Awards:

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Curriculum Studies Award, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center Outstanding Graduate Student: 2001

University of Connecticut Multicultural (2000-2003) and Pre-Doctoral (1999-2000) Fellowships

Associations/Committees/Outreach:

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

American Educational Research Association

North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology ofMathematics Education

Association of Mathematic Teacher Educators

Areas of Expertise:

Classroom Discourse

Mathematics Education

Elementary Education

Teacher Education

Funded Research:

2008-2009, Principal Investigator, Project Empower: A Pilot Study Investigating Students' Learning of Basic Multiplication Facts and Strategies, Center for Research in Mathematics Education, $500

2007-2012, Co-Principal Investigator, Project M2: Mentoring Young Mathematicians, NSF Discovery Research K-12, $2,000,000

2006-2007, Co-Principal Investigator, Preservice teachers’ confidence of evidence-based decisions, Teachers for a New Era, $500

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Gavin, M. K., Casa, T. M., Carroll, S. R., & Adelson, J. L. (in press). Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds, a curriculum study of elementary students with math potential. Gifted Child Quarterly.

Casa, T. M., & Gavin, M. K. (in press). Advancing student understanding of quadrilaterals through the use of mathematical vocabulary. T. Craine, & R. Rubenstein (Eds.). Understanding Geometry for a Changing World, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 71st Yearbook (2009).

Gavin, M. K., Casa, T. M., Chapin, S. H., Copley, J. V., & Sheffield, L. J. (2008-2009). Creating a measurement fair with Imi and Zani; Designing a shape gallery: Geometry with the meerkats; Exploring shape games: Geometry with Imi and Zani; Measuring with the meerkats. Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Storrs, CT.

Gavin, M. K., Casa, T. M., Adelson, J. L., Carroll, S. R., Sheffield, L. J., & Spinelli, A. M. (2007). Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds: A research-based curriculum for talented elementary students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 18(4), 566-585.

Casa, T. M., McGivney-Burelle, J. M., & DeFranco, T. C. (2007). Preservice teachers’ attitudes about discourse in the mathematics classroom: The development of an instrument. School Science and Mathematics, 107(2), 70-81.

Casa, T. M. (2006). Focusing on learners with math potential and their teachers through curriculum, discourse, and professional development. In Alatorre, S., Cortina, J.L., Sáiz, M., & Méndez, A. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 28th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education [CD-ROM]. Mérida, Mexico: Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, 2, 65-67.

Casa, T. M., & Gavin, M. K. (2006, Spring). A challenge in measurement: Searching for the Yeti. Teaching for High Potential, 7-8.

Casa, T. M., Spinelli, A. M., & Gavin, M. K. (2006). This about covers it! Strategies for finding area [Focus issue on teaching and learning measurement]. Teaching Children Mathematics, 13(3), 168-173. Also featured focus issue article in NCTM Elementary School Member Update, October 2006.

Gavin, M. K., Casa, T. M., & Adelson, J. L. (2006). Mentoring mathematical minds: An innovative program to develop math talent. Understanding Our Gifted 9(1), 3-6.

Casa, T. M. (2005). Decisions regarding discourse prior to, during, and after teaching: Case studies of three elementary-level teachers. In G. M. Lloyd, M. R. Wilson, J. L. M. Wilkins, & S. L. Behm (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education [CD-ROM]. Eugene, OR: All Academic.