Kelli Thomas

Kelli Thomas, Ph.D., is Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Undergraduate Programs in the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas and Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. Dr. Thomas’s professional work has focused on mathematics teaching, learning, and assessment in schools for more than 25 years. She has been involved in educator preparation and professional development of educators in university and K-12 settings. She began her career in education teaching in public school settings including the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) in Germany. Her research agenda focuses on teaching, learning, and assessment of mathematics with a focus on teacher development and classroom practice. She also has expertise in program evaluation. Her work is published in journals such as Journal of Educational Research, School Science and Mathematics, Teaching Children Mathematics, Action in Teacher Education, American Journal of Evaluation, New Directions for Evaluation, and Teacher Education & Practice.

Publications

Challenges and Opportunities for Transforming From STEM to STEAM Education
Kelli Thomas, Douglas Huffman. © 2020. 326 pages.
The addition of the arts to STEM education, now known as STEAM, adds a new dimension to problem-solving within those fields, offering students tools such as imagination and...
Designing STEAM Learning Environments
Haidee A. Jackson, James D. Basham, Kelli Thomas, Cassandra L. Hunt. © 2020. 23 pages.
This chapter highlights some of the technological changes in society that have led to an increased need to consider instructional and design challenges in implementing STEAM...
Becoming STEAM: Perspectives From School Leaders
Kelli Thomas, Douglas Huffman. © 2020. 26 pages.
This chapter shares a brief history of the STEM to STEAM movement, shares two case descriptions drawn from the perspectives of leaders in two school districts in which schools...
The Transdisciplinary Nature of STEAM Education: Integrating STEAM in Pre-Service Teacher Education
Douglas Huffman, Kelli Thomas, James D. Basham. © 2020. 17 pages.
The purpose of this chapter is to describe and explain multiple methods of integrating STEAM into the curriculum for pre-service teachers. The chapter includes both stand-alone...
Critical Thinking and Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Kelli Thomas, Douglas Huffman, Mari Caballero. © 2019. 20 pages.
The purpose of this chapter was to investigate pre-service teachers' noticing of children's critical thinking and views towards eliciting and using students' critical...