|
|
About Me
Professional Information
I am a Mathematics Instructor at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.
I have a B.S. in Mathematics, an M.A. in Mathematics Education from Michigan State University, and an MBA from San Jose State University. Ironically, both schools' mascot is the Spartan, so I'm a Spartan to my core.
My area(s) of interest include the reasons and solutions to students understanding of Calculus and pre-Calculus mathematics.
I am particularly interested in looking at possible intervention programs/possibilities for struggling under-represented students in pre-Calculus mathematics courses.
I spent the part of 2003 working with the DiME (Diversity in Mathematics Education) project at the University of California, Berkeley, which tries to address issues of minority performance in mathematics.
I have an MBA from San Jose State University. It's a very different world than the world of Mathematics Education, but I think it will be of some benefit to me, both in and out of the classroom.
Personal Information
My full name is Jefferson Kodwo Robert Shirley. My first name comes from Thomas Jefferson. Kodwo (pronounced Kuudjo) is a Ghanaian name that means I am a male born on a Monday. Robert was my late grandfather's name.
I was born in Zaria, Nigeria. My parents live in Baltimore, Maryland. My father is an American and my mother is from Ghana.
I lived in Zaria until I was 12. Since then, I have lived in De Kalb, Illinois, Baltimore, Maryland, and East Lansing, Michigan. I have lived in the Bay Area since 2001. While in the Bay Area, I've lived in Milpitas, San Jose, Oakland, and Mountain View.
I have two sisters, Emily and Affie. Affie lives in Ghana, with her 4 children, and Emily lives in Baltimore, with her husband, Jamaar, and their daughter, Maya.
I currently live in Mountain View with my partner, Lauren, and our cat Geordi.
Here are some photos from our wedding and our reception.
In my free time, I like to travel (I've been to about 30 countries), play soccer, and bake.
Recent News
I am moving to Oxford, UK in January, 2010.
I finished up my last MBA class in mid-October, 2008. I officially graduated in December.
Lauren and I got married on December 28, 2006 (we had our reception on August 11, 2007)
I was granted tenure by the board of trustees in March, 2006. Woo Hoo!
In Summer 2005, Lauren and I went to Ghana for 9 weeks. You can read about our trip on our Ghana blog.
|
|
|
