Brian's Bio ... this page is in a temporary form and will look prettier in the future
Brian Cann was born in England and now lives in Heidelberg, Germany. He took his B.Sc (Hons) degree in mathematics and statistics at the University of Warwick, England, a Post-graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Sussex, and an M.Ed. with the University of Sheffield. His Master's thesis was entitled "Other Peoples Knowledge: the politics of math anxiety." (to read it, click here) He has also studied at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. From 1981 to 1986, he taught high school in Milton Keynes, England. He joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in 1986 and was presented with Maryland's Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award in the year 2000. He is currently working on his doctorate in math education with the University of Exeter in the UK.
His academic interests lie principally in the psychology of learning mathematics, specifically in the areas of study skills and 'math anxiety' reduction, as well as in the development of self-sufficiency in math learning (particularly in on-line settings) and the relation of second language acquisition to the learning of mathematics. With Sam Thompson & Lindsey Court, he has co-authored one math textbook: Transitional Mathematics published by Harcourt Brace in 1990 and now long out of print.
Teaching Philosophy Statement prepared for the Drazek award committee in 2000 (Word document)
Interview for the Faculty Excellence at UMUC Series, 2004