Rita Janes has spent a lifetime as a teacher. She taught at all levels of schooling, including the teaching of mathematics and mathematics education for pre-service teachers. She served as mathematics professional development consultant at the district level with responsibilities from kindergarten to grade 12. In recent years she has been facilitating workshops on mathematics instruction with teachers and school districts across Canada and the United States. She has a special interest in supporting teachers as they strive to integrate the NCTM Process Standards and the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice into the content of elementary mathematics programs, helping to make these programs come alive in the classroom.
Rita promotes the use of rich problem solving tasks, mathematical discourse and the posing of good questions to ensure inquiry-oriented classroom environments for all children. Observing how young children are more successful learners of mathematics when it is presented in a familiar context, she finds great success in using children’s literature as this context.
Rita has served on the Board of Directors of National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM); the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM); Chair of the NCTM Professional Development Services Committee; Chair of NCTM Affiliate Services Committee; Member of NCTM Educational Services Committee; President of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLTA) Mathematics Council; President of the NLTA Elementary Teachers Council; and Editor of Teaching Mathematics (an NLTA publication).
