NSUBA Professor Named 2007 DaVinci Fellow

BROKEN ARROW Broken Arrow Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dr. Martha Parrott was recently honored as one of the 2007 DaVinci Fellows.

Parrott was honored Thursday, March 8, at The DaVinci Institutes annual banquet at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.

I am grateful that effective and creative teaching at the university level is being recognized statewide, said Parrott. It is very humbling to have this opportunity since there are so many at NSU who model effective and creative teaching on a daily basis. NSU is blessed to have a faculty where creative and effective teaching is the norm and not the exception.

The DaVinci Institute, Oklahomas Creative Think Tank, annually recognizes creativity in higher education faculty from across Oklahoma. The award is based on the premise that creativity is not bound by place or time and exhibits itself across all disciplines in a variety of ways, from engineering to ballet, from social sciences to opera.

In addition to being honored in Oklahoma City, DaVinci Fellows receive a $1,000 award from the DaVinci Institute.

The challenge of changing traditionally textbook-driven, lecture-oriented courses to more student-centered courses which will not only prepare elementary and middle school teachers for the realities of the classrooms but also for the rigorous certification process that will follow graduation is one of the more complex issues I have faced in higher education, said Parrott.

Parrott regularly engages her students in experience-based learning opportunities to empower them to becoming thinkers and learners in the mathematics field.

I continue to search for new and better ways to connect mathematics to the life experiences of my students and hope that in turn this commitment to lifelong learning is born within the minds of each pre-service teacher enrolled in my courses, said Parrott.

Parrott was presented with the 2006 Faculty Circle of Excellence Award for Teaching from Northeastern, an award that recognizes contributions for creative approaches to teaching and learning. She was also nominated for the 2007 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in College and University Teaching by NSU.

After earning her Bachelor of Science Education in Mathematics from Oklahoma Christian University in 1985, Parrott went on to earn her Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston, and a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Oklahoma State University.

Parrott has taught classes at Northeastern since August 2001. She has also taught at Tulsa Community College and North Harris County Community College in Houston, Texas, Langham Creek High School in Houston, Anson Jones Junior High School in Bryan, Texas, and North Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow.

A member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Parrott is also a member of the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Tulsa Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Kappa Delta Pi, Oklahoma Metropolitan Area Mathematics Consortium, and Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teachers Association.