Dr Lori Altendorff

Biography

I began my career in education in 1976 teaching maths and economics in a large London comprehensive school and quickly became interested in equal opportunities/diversity issues and the transition between the phases of education. I was a founder member of a community project in South London offering 'fresh start' education opportunities for adults, especially women. To satisfy my fascination with how children learn, I retrained to teach in primary schools and completed a post-graduate diploma in psychology through the Open University to become a member of the British Psychological Society.

Since moving to East Sussex in 1992, alongside teaching 11-16 mathematics across the attainment range and  SENCO responsibilities, I have researched and implemented alternative learning programmes for 14-16 year old disaffected students and also contributed to the 'Raising Boy's Achievement' agenda (ESCC).

I joined the Sussex School of Education as a part-time tutor in 2002, teaching on the Diploma in Professional Education Studies designed specifically for Teaching Assistants. I became a member of the PGCE team in 2003 as a mathematics curriculum tutor on both the 7-14 and 11-18 PGCE programme. I was also the programme convenor of the 7-14 PGCE from 2003-7

Continuing my interest in the transition between the primary and secondary phases of education, I made this the focus of my MA in Education Studies. My dissertation, 'Becoming a Teacher on the 7-14 (Key Stage2/3) PGCE initial teacher education programme: Still a crisis of identity or a golden opportunity?', looked at ways in which issues of curriculum continuity and progression in children's learning can be addressed within initial teacher education.

From 2010-12, under the supervision of Professor Judy Sebba, I was a researcher, for a study commissioned by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the aim of which was to investigate the impact upon students' learning of teaching mathematics with the accompanying Complex Instruction (CI) pedagogy. This developed further the research previously undertaken in 2008-9 by Professor Jo Boaler and commissioned by the SSAT (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust). An improvement in the performance, the enjoyment and the progression of students of mathematics in England, has been clearly signposted in recent reports as an urgent need, (Smith, 2004; Ofsted, 2006; Ofsted 2008; Williams, 2008). Boaler has researched the CI approach in the US to show that significant gains can be made with its application. Working with colleagues at Nrich, Cambridge, the research team has posted ideas relating to the CI approach along with a summary report of the findings to date at http://nrich.maths.org/7011.

Concurrently, (2008-2012), I completed a PhD in Mathematics Education which explored the 'cultural script' for teaching and learning mathematics in English secondary schools and its relationship with teacher change.

Role

• Lecturer in Education
• Researcher: Mathematics Education

Qualifications

PhD - Education (Sussex)

MA Education Studies (Sussex) - distinction

PG Diploma Psychology (Open University)

Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (MBPsS)

PGCE (Institute of Education, London)

BA Business Studies (Polytechnic of Central London)

Sebba, Judy, Kent, Phillip, Altendorff, Lori, Kent, Geoffrey, Hodgkiss, Claire and Boaler, Jo (2011) Raising Expectations and Achievement Levels for All Mathematics Students (REALMS). Unset. Unset.

Boaler, Jo, Altendorff, Lori and Kent, Geoff (2011) Mathematics and science inequalities in the United Kingdom: when elitism, sexism and culture collide. Oxford Review of Education, 37 (4). pp. 457-484. ISSN 1465-3915

Boaler, Jo, Altendorff, Lori and Kent , Geoff (2010) Complex Instruction in England: the journey, the new schools, and initial results. Unset. University of Cambridge.