BIO

Dr Thorsten Scheiner is a Visiting Professor at Freie Universität Berlin and an Honorary Fellow at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at Australian Catholic University. His research programme sits at the intersection of mathematics education and the learning sciences, investigating how students learn mathematics and how teachers develop the professional knowledge, noticing, and instructional practices needed to recognise and build on that learning.

​

At the heart of his work is the design and study of transformative learning environments that support mathematics teachers in recognising, valuing, and leveraging students’ mathematical strengths. This strengths-based approach promotes more equitable and inclusive mathematics learning experiences and contributes to the development of positive mathematical identities for all students.

Scheiner’s research programme brings together two closely interconnected strands, developed in collaboration with leading international scholars. The first strand advances understanding of mathematics teachers’ professional noticing and professional knowledge, with particular attention to strengths-based and equity-oriented perspectives on instructional decision-making. The second strand generates fine-grained, evidence-based accounts of students’ mathematical thinking and learning, with attention to the cognitive, conceptual, and epistemological dimensions of mathematical development. Across both strands, his work seeks to identify the mathematical resources, capabilities, and strengths that students bring to their learning and to understand how teachers can build productively on them.

​

Scheiner’s research has appeared in leading international journals, including Educational Studies in Mathematics, the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, and ZDM – Mathematics Education. His expertise has led to invitations as a visiting scholar at institutions such as Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. He has received numerous awards, fellowships, and grants, and serves in editorial roles for several leading international journals in mathematics education and teacher education.

​

A dedicated mathematics educator, Scheiner has taught mathematics and mathematics education at universities in Australia, Germany, and New Zealand, and has experience teaching mathematics across different school systems. His commitment to inclusive and equitable mathematics education is reflected in his sustained efforts to challenge deficit thinking, recognise each learner’s mathematical contributions, and support learning environments in which all students can participate meaningfully and develop as capable mathematical thinkers.

He is a former Fellow of the Foundation of German Business.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​