Claudia Bertolone-Smith, PhD

Educational Background

Ph.D., Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, University of Reno Nevada, 2016

M.S., Mathematics Education, Walden University, 2008

B.A., Elementary Education, minor in Italian, University of Oregon, 1989

Areas of Expertise

• Math education
• Mathematical discourse, motivation & identity rehabilitations 
• Student self-assessment & regulation in the K-12 classroom

Short Biography

Dr. Bertolone-Smith is an associate professor in the School of Education at CSU Chico.  She is currently the Program Coordinator of the Multiple Subjects Program and teaches credential program courses on math pedagogy and practice. She has 24 years of classroom experience, teaching grades 1-7 in a variety of education settings (rural, urban, alternative, and public). Her research interests include helping to remove barriers to learning mathematics, understanding how math identities are formed, robust mathematical discourse, and developing self-assessment/management practices in the classroom. 

Grants & Contracts Awarded

Data’s Irresistible Connections to Operations and Number Sense (The “Data ICONS” Institutes) (March 2024, funded, $75,000). PI: Strand, K. CO-PI: Bertolone-Smith, C. 

Northern California (NorCal) Growing Responsive, Equitable, Adaptable and Transformative (GREAT) Teachers Pipeline Program (Fall 2022, funded, $13,349,551) PI: Seipel, B. Co-PIs (alphabetical order): Bertolone-Smith, C., Moffit, C., Schreder, K., Slemrod, T., & Whitney, E.

CSU STEM-NET Faculty Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research SEED Grant: Making Climate Change Research Accessible: Using Visual Design & Storytelling to Leverage STEM Learning (Fall 22, funded, $25,000). PI: Logan Smith, Co-PIs: Bertolone-Smith, C., Hajimorad, M., & Armstrong, F.

CSU Center for Transformational Educator Preparation Programs (CTEPP); Increasing BIPOC Teacher Candidates in Chico Unified School District $155,000 (2022).

S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation Grant: Certificate Sequence in Practice-Based Approaches to Methods Instruction University of Michigan fellowship- $16,000 (2020 – 21).

Francis C and William P Smallwood Foundation- Food for Thought: Welcoming families to schools for a healthy meal and parent education ($185,000/funded from 2001 – 2019). PI: Bertolone-Smith, C., Co-PI: Marlene Moyer

Publications & Presentations

Dale, S., Unigarro, M., Vantassel, D., Bertolone-Smith, C., & Puliatte, A., (2022). Draw a picture of yourself learning math: What pre-service teachers’ self-portraits illustrate about their complex relationships with mathematics. Journal on Empowering Teacher Excellence 6 (1), 27-43.

Moss, D., Bertolone-Smith, C., Boyce, S., MacDonald, B., Grabhorn, J., & Roman, C. (2022). Tensions between objectivism and constructivism in organizing and enacting student learning in online STEM education. The Educational Forum.

Bertolone-Smith, C. & Spagna, A. (2019). What’s seen and unseen: The Gen Z experience in the classroom. In Schnackenberg, H. L., & Johnson, C. (Eds.) Preparing the Higher Education Space for Gen Z. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Bertolone-Smith, C. & Koyen, L. (2019). Making Mathematical Discourse Worth Your While. Teaching Children Mathematics 25 (4), 243-248.