Johnnie Wilson

at Istanbul International Community School

Johnnie Wilson is a Lecturer and Teacher Educator at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He completed his master’s work in teacher education and curriculum studies at Stanford University. His focus is in mathematics education; in children’s learning of mathematics and the improvement of teaching practices. At the University, he works with beginning and practicing teachers to understand teaching practices that engage students, deepen their mathematical understanding and bring joy to the learning of the subject.

Johnnie provides professional learning opportunities for teachers and schools in California and abroad. Johnnie taught the children of farmworkers at an elementary school in Watsonville, California. He worked as a mentor and coach with teachers at struggling schools, to improve their mathematics programs. Johnnie has lived abroad a good part of his life. He taught mathematics at Munich International School in Germany, where he worked with teachers to better understand the role of language and culture in mathematics teaching.

He is currently interested in how the differences children bring to their mathematics learning can be understood as resources and enlisted to better that learning. Johnnie is also tall. When asked by children how tall he is, he usually responds, “5 foot 17” or “196”, and lets the children work out what that means. That is the math teacher in him.