Dr. Craig Cullen
Professor
Mathematics
Office
STV Stevenson Hall 331c
Office Hours
By appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Biography
Before coming to ISU, I taught high school for 6 years at Willowbrook high school in Villa Park IL. During that time, I taught algebra, geometry, precalculus, data analysis, and calculus. Outside of the classroom, I coached the Willowbrook boy's gymnastics team.
Current Courses
599.006Dissertation
599.009Dissertation
326.001Mathematical Problem Solving Using Technology
426.001Mathematical Problem Solving Using Technology
599.002Dissertation
Teaching Interests & Areas
My teaching focuses on courses for preservice high school teachers. I have taught all of our methods courses for these students. The course I have taught the most is our technology course for preservice teachers.
Research Interests & Areas
The role of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Children's development of measurement concepts. I am currently focused on quantitative reasoning, especially as it relates to students' understanding of angle measure and trigonometry.
Ph D Mathematics Education
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois
MA Mathematics Education
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
BS Mathematics Education
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois
College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding University Teacher Award nominee
College of Arts and Sciences
2022
Department Outstanding Teacher Award
Department of Mathematics (ISU)
2022
Outstanding University Teaching Nominee
2018
Outstanding College Teaching Award
Department of Mathematics (ISU)
2017
Department Outstanding Teacher Award
Department of Mathematics (ISU)
2016
Million Dollar Club
Research and Sponsored Programs (ISU)
2014
STaR Fellow
AMTE
2012
Departmental Teaching Initiative Award
Department of Mathematics (ISU)
2012
Book, Authored
Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Klanderman, D., & Behnke, D. (2017). A Pleasure to Measure. (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics): Reston, VA.
Book, Chapter
Jeune, M., Cullen, C.J. (2024). Mathematics Education for Children with Critical and Terminal Illness. In: Clements, M.(., Kaur, B., Lowrie, T., Mesa, V., Prytz, J. (eds) Fourth International Handbook of Mathematics Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51474-6_20
Barrett, J. E., Wickstrom, M. H., Tobias, J. M., Cullen, C. J., Cullen, A. L., & Baek, J. M., (2019), Chapter 3: Children’s Measurement Project. In P. Sztajn, P. H. Wilson (Eds.), Learning Trajectories for Teachers: Designing Effective Professional Development for Math Instruction. (pp. 48-74). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Barrett, J. E., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Miller, A. L., Cullen, C. J., Van Dine, D. W., . . . Klanderman, D. (2017). Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for area. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 129–148). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Miller, A. L., Eames, C. L., Kara, M., & Klanderman, D. (2017). Area in the middle and later elementary grades. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 105–127). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Cullen, C. J., Barrett, J. E., Kara, M., Eames, C. L., Miller, A. L., & Klanderman, D. (2017). Integration of results: A new learning trajectory for volume. In J. E. Barrett, D. H. Clements, & J. Sarama (Eds.), Children’s measurement: A longitudinal study of children’s knowledge and learning of length, area, and volume. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series (Vol. 16, pp. 181–201). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Conference Proceeding
Martin, T. S., Cullen, C.J., Chávez, O, & Kimball, K., (2024). Developing directed-length definitions for the tangent and secant functions. In Editors, Proceedings of the forty-sixth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 887 – 896). Cleveland, OH: Publisher. https://doi: 10.51272/pmena.46.2024
Cullen, C. J., & Martin, T. S. (2018). Exploring trigonometric relationships: Is it a function? In Editors, Proceedings of the 40th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 259–262). Greenville, SC: Publisher.
Dimmel, J., Nickels, M., Cullen, C., & Bock, C. (2018). Mathematical making in immersive virtual environments working group. In Editors, Proceedings of the 40th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1422–1428). Greenville, SC: Publisher.
O’Dell, J. R., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Rupnow, T. J., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Rutherford, G., & Beck, P. S. (2017). Using a Virtual Manipulative Environment to Support Students’ Organizational Structuring of Volume Units. In E. Galindo & J. Newton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1329–1336). Indianapolis, IN: Hoosier Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.
Beck, P. S., Eames, C. L., Cullen C. J., Barrett, J. E., Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2014). Linking children’s knowledge of length measurement to their use of double number lines. In Liljedahl, P., Nicol, C., Oesterle, S., & Allan, D. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. (Vol. 2) (pp. 105-112). Vancouver, Canada: PME
Journal Article
Cullen, C. J., Ssebaggala, L., and Chávez, O. (2024). Rate of change: Degrees vs. radians. North American GeoGebra Journal, 12(1): 25-31.
Cullen, C. J., & Hertel, J. T. (2023). Improving our criticism of technology in mathematics education. Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching PK–12, 116(5), 314–321. https://doi.org/10.5951/mtlt.2023.0004
Hertel, J. T., & Cullen, C. J. (2023). Technology: Reflecting and Moving Forward. Mathematics Teacher: Teaching and Learning PK–12, 116(5), 310–311. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTLT.2023.0053
Rupnow, T., O’Dell, J. R., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Clements, D. H., Sarama, J., Rutherford, G. (2022). Children’s Construction of a Volume Calculation Algorithm for a Rectangular Prism with a Dynamic Virtual Manipulative, Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2022.100998
Sarama, J., Clements, D. H., Barrett, J. E., Cullen, C. J., Hudyma, A., & Vanegas, Y. (2022). Length measurement in the early years: teaching and learning with learning trajectories, Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 24:4, 267-290, DOI: 10.1080/10986065.2020.1858245
Presentations
Cullen, C. J. (2025, February) Reasoning from Randomness. Presented at the 38th Annual Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference – Southern Section, February 13, 2025.
Cullen, C. J. (2024, February) Comparing Radians and Degrees. Presented at the 38th Annual Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference – Southern Section.
Cullen, C. J. (2024, February). Making Sense of Fractions. Presented at the The 38th Annual Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference - Southern Section.
Cullen, C. J., & Chávez, O. (2024, September) The What and Why of Radians. Presented at the 103rd Annual National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, September 27, 2024.
Cullen, C. J., Martin, T. S., Chávez, O. (2024, March) Developing geometric concept definitions for tangent and secant. Presented at the 51st Annual Conference of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning (RCML).
Cullen, C. J., Ssebaggala, L, & Cullen, A. L., (2024, January 11). Constructing Models of Relationships. NCTM. Online.
Hertel, J.T. & Cullen, C. J. (2024, September) Examining how we use Technology in Teaching Mathematics. Presented at the 103rd Annual National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, September 27, 2024.
Martin, T. S., Cullen, C. J., Chávez, O., & Kimball, K. (2024, November) Developing Directed-Length Definitions for the Tangent and Secant Functions. Presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of PME-NA, Cleveland, OH, November 7 – 10, 2024.
Ssebaggala, L., & Cullen, C. J., (2024, March) Student Reasoning: Insights into Trigonometric Relationships. Presented at the 51st Annual Conference of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning (RCML).
Cullen, C. J. (2023, April) Does this Look Random? Presented at the 69th Annual Western Illinois University Mathematics Teacher's Conference.
Grants & Contracts
Learning Trajectories to Support the Growth of Measurement Knowledge: Pre-K through Middle School. National Science Foundation: Discovery Research K-12. Federal. (2014)
Mathematical Concept Development through Measurement for teachers of Grades 1 through 5. Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program. (2012)
Formative Assessment Improving Teachers' Instructional Practices. Mathematics and Science Partnerships (Illinois State Board of Education). Illinois State University.
Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program- Mathematical Concept Development through Measurement for teachers of Grades 1 through 5 stage II. Department of Education. State.
Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program-Mathematical Concept Development through Measurement for teachers of Grades 1 through 5. Department of Education. State.