Rick Billstein

Rick Billstein

Rick Billstein is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Montana. He has worked in mathematics teacher education at this university for over 40 years and his current research is in the areas of curriculum development and mathematics teacher education.

He teaches courses for future teachers in the Mathematics Department and served as the site director for the Show-Me Project, an NSF-funded project supporting the dissemination and implementation of standards-based middle grades mathematics curricula. He worked with the NSF Tinker Plots grant to develop new data analysis software. He serves on the Advisory Boards for several national projects. From 1992-1997, he directed the NSF-funded Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM) middle school mathematics curriculum project and just completed directing the Middle Grades MATHThematics Phase II Project.

Dr. Billstein has co-authored over 60 books, including ten editions of A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary Teachers. This text has remained the best selling college text in teacher training since 1980. His middle school mathematics curriculum series Middle Grades MATHThematics has been used by over 4 million students.

He typically does about 25 regional and national presentations per year and has traveled to Thailand to work with the international schools there. He presented at several of the International Conferences on Mathematics Education (ICME).

PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS
  • Senior author for the NSF-funded publication:
    Middle Grades MATHThematics, Books 1-3 © 1999, 2002, 2005
  • Senior author of MATHThematics, Books 1-3 (with 20 other accompaning books), 2008
  • Co-authored A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary Teachers (10 editions)
  • Co-authored Navigating through Probability in Grades 9-12, NCTM Navigations Series, 2004.
 PUBLICATIONS
  • Published over 60 articles in refereed journals including:
      American Mathematics Monthly
      Two Year College Journal
      The Mathematics Teacher
      The Arithmetic Teacher
      Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
      School Science and Mathematics
      The Computing Teacher
      Electronic Learning
      Student Math Notes
      The Logo and Educational Computing Journal
      Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium Journal
      Classroom Computing Teacher
      The Montana Mathematics Journal
      Mathematics Education Leadership
PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
  • Serve on the Editorial Panel of NCTM's Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
  • Directed the NSF-funded Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM) middle school mathematics curriculum project and also the Middle Grades MATHThematics Phase II Project
  • Site Director for the ShowMe Center grants
  • Mathematics site director for the Montana Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation (STEP) Project
  • Co-directed the Excellence in Montana Mathematics Education (EMME) Project
  • Co-directed Integrating Mathematics Programs and Computer Technology (IMPACT) Project
  • Co-directed Pre-College Teacher Development Project for Montana Mathematics Teachers
  • Served on the Board of Directors of the Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • Served and chaired the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Instructional Issues Advisory Committee
  • Served as General Chair for an NCTM Regional Meeting

AWARDS
The article "You are Cleared to Land", which appeared in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, won the silver award in the Scholarly Journals Feature Articles category for the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP).

Received Distinguished Teaching Award and the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award from The Universtiy of Montana

Received Outstanding Alumni Award from The University of Montana

Received Dean Preble Memorial Award for Outstanding Teachers of Mathematics from the Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Elected to Montana State University – Billings Athletic Hall of Fame
UM Math Faculty