Education
- Ph.D., Mathematics Education, University of Missouri, 2016
- M.S., Mathematics Education, National University, 2010
- BS Mathematics Education and Physics Education, Weber State University, 2007
- AS Engineering, Snow College, 2003
Work Experience
- BYU-Idaho, Mathematics Education Faculty 2022-Present
- Valdosta State University, Mathematics Education Faculty 2020-2022
- Arizona State University, Mathematics Education Faculty 2016-2020
- University of Missouri, Instructor and Practicum Supervisor, 2012-2016
- Syracuse (Utah) High School, Mathematics and Physics Teacher and Soccer Coach 2007 - 2012
Professional Interests and Research
As a High School teacher, Bill had the opportunity to teach some math classes in which students had not previously been successful in mathematics. He came to love helping these students to view the beauty of mathematics and harness the power of mathematics in their lives. This love motivated him to eventually leave the high school classroom and return to school to learn how to help ALL students to be successful in mathematics. This quest for understanding and sharing has taken the forms of doing original research, teaching at universities, facilitating professional learning experiences for current teachers, presenting at local and national conferences and consulting with school districts.
Specific topics include:
+ Students' conceptual understandings of algebra
+ The intersections of Mathematics Education and Special Education as a field of work
+ Effective mathematics teaching practices for helping all students learn mathematics
+ Elementary teachers' mathematical conceptions
Other Interests
Bill loves spending time with his family! Some of the things that they enjoy doing include playing board games, hiking, camping, and eating good food. He also enjoys playing soccer, running, biking, and swimming.
Biography
Bill was born in Logan, Utah where he lived until he finished the 8th grade. He then moved with his family to Erda, Utah (Tooele County) to live and work on his uncle's Jersey Dairy farm while attending Tooele High School. After high school, Bill served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in British Columbia, Canada. He loved teaching the people there about the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ. After returning from Canada, he met Jessica Salas at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. They loved their time at Snow College! It was at Snow college after his mission that his passion for teaching overcame his longstanding plan of being an aerospace engineer. Bill and Jessica were married and then continued their education at Weber State University. After they both graduated from Weber State, they settled down in Layton, Utah as a high school math and physics teacher and a soccer coach at Syracuse High School. After 5 comfortable years there, Bill and Jessica got the impression that it was time to move on. They decided that they would move from Utah with their 4 young boys (ages 4 mo. - 7 yrs.) to Missouri so that he could complete a doctoral program in mathematics education. They loved their 4 years in Missouri, and after graduating with his Ph.D. they moved to Gilbert Arizona so that Bill could teach at Arizona State University (ASU). It was there in Gilbert that their 5th child and only daughter joined their family. Through teaching and researching at ASU and working with teachers across the country, Bill discovered that his passion still was centered in teaching math and teaching math teachers how to reach all students. Bill and Jessica decided to move across the country again as Bill took a position at Valdosta State University in South Georgia so that he could focus more on teaching math teachers and less on conducting original research. They arrived in Georgia amid the height of the COVID-19 shutdowns, which led to a slow start settling down in Georgia. They grew to love Georgia and were planning to be there for a long time. But God had other plans. Through a series of miraculous events, Bill and Jessica were led back across the country (for hopefully the last cross-country move) to Rexburg, Idaho. Bill is now a member of the Mathematics Department at BYU-Idaho. He has found his dream job in which he can teach math, teach future math teachers, and testify of the goodness of God and power of Jesus Christ.