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Dr Thorsten Scheiner

Senior Research Fellow
STEM in Education: Design and Growth Across the Disciplines

Areas of expertise: mathematics education; teacher education; learning sciences

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Provisional

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1118-5958

Phone: +617 3623 7314

Email: thorsten.scheiner@acu.edu.au

Campus: ACU Brisbane Campus

Dr Thorsten Scheiner is a Senior Research Fellow in the STEM in Education: Design and Growth across the Disciplines research program at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education. Scheiner was recently appointed Visiting Professor in mathematics teacher education at the Free University of Berlin, one of Germany’s most prestigious universities. Prior to these appointments, he was a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Auckland.

Scheiner has gained a growing international research reputation through high-quality publications in mathematics education. He has produced more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier outlets, including publications in leading international journals in mathematics education (e.g. Educational Studies in Mathematics) and teacher education (e.g. Teachers and Teaching).

Scheiner’s research is characterised by a particular focus on fine-grained processes of student mathematical thinking and teacher professional learning, which has resulted in theoretical, conceptual and empirical advances in the field. His recent research has concentrated on the concept of ‘teacher noticing’, looking specifically how teachers identify and respond to students’ mathematical thinking.

The quality of his research has been recognised through invited presentations at leading international research institutions and international conferences, as well as invitations to visit internationally-renowned research institutions as a visiting scholar, including Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education in San Diego.

Scheiner has lectured in mathematics teacher education programs at various universities, including Macquarie University, the University of Hamburg and Humboldt University of Berlin. He has also worked as a secondary mathematics teacher in various school systems in Australia, Germany and South Africa before taking up his current research position at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education.

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Curriculum Vitae

Select publications

• Scheiner, T., Godino, J., Montes, M., Pino-Fan, L., & Climent, N. (2022). On metaphors in thinking about preparing mathematics for teaching. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 111(2), 253–270. DOI: 10.1007/s10649-022-10154-4
• König, J., Santagata, R., Scheiner, T., Adleff, A.-K., Yang, X., & Kaiser, G. (2022). Teacher noticing: A systematic literature review on conceptualizations, research designs, and findings on learning to notice. Educational Research Review, 100453. DOI: 10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100453
• Scheiner, T., & Pinto, M.M.F. (2022). Sense-making in mathematics: An act of comprehension or creation? For the Learning of Mathematics, 42(3), 16–20.
• Scheiner, T., & Buchholtz, N. (2022). Pedagogical content knowledge oder fachdidaktisches Wissen? [Pedagogical content knowledge or subject matter didactic knowledge?]. In N. Buchholtz, B. Schwarz & K. Vorhölter (Eds.), Initiationen mathematikdidaktischer Forschung (pp. 267–286). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-36766-4_14
• Scheiner, T. (2022). Examining assumptions about the need for teachers to transform subject matter into pedagogical forms accessible to students. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 28(1), 1–11. DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2021.2016688
• Scheiner, T. (2021). Towards a more comprehensive model of teacher noticing. ZDM–Mathematics Education, 53(1), 85–94. DOI: 10.1007/s11858-020-01202-5
• Santagata, R., König, J., Scheiner, T., Nguyen, H., Adleff, A.-K., Yang, X., & Kaiser, G. (2021). Mathematics teacher learning to notice: A systematic review of studies of video-based programs. ZDM – Mathematics Education, 53(1), 119–134. DOI: 10.1007/s11858-020-01216-z
• Scheiner, T. (2020). Dealing with opposing theoretical perspectives: Knowledge in structures or knowledge in pieces? Educational Studies in Mathematics, 104(1), 127–145. DOI: 10.1007/s10649-020-09950-7
• Scheiner, T. (2019). If we want to get ahead, we should transcend dualisms and foster paradigm pluralism. In G. Kaiser & N. Presmeg (Eds.), Compendium for early career researchers in mathematics education (pp. 511-532). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15636-7_27
• Scheiner, T., & Pinto, M. F. (2019). Emerging perspectives in mathematical cognition: Contextualising, complementizing, and complexifying. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 101(3), 357-372. DOI: 10.1007/s10649-019-9879-y
• Scheiner, T., Montes, M. A., Godino, J. D., Carrillo, J., & Pino-Fan, L. (2019). What makes mathematics teacher knowledge specialised? Offering alternative views. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 17(1), 153-172. DOI: 10.1007/s10763-017-9859-6

Accolades and awards

• Early Career Researcher Excellence in Research Recognition Award, Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, 2020
• Karl H. Ditze Dissertation Award, University of Hamburg, 2018
• Research Excellence Scholarship, Macquarie University, 2016–2017
• Klaus Murmann Fellowship, Foundation of German Business, 2014–2016

Appointments and affiliations

• Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University, 2023–
• Visiting Professor at the Free University of Berlin, Institute for Mathematics, 2022–2023 
• Research Fellow at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University, 2019 –2022
• Lecturer at The University of Auckland, Department of Mathematics, 2017–2018

Editorial roles

Board member

• Teaching and Teacher Education 
• Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education 
• International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education (IJSME)

International journal review panel

• Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM)
• Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME)
• Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (JMTE) 
• Journal of Teacher Education (JTE)
• Mathematical Thinking and Learning (MTL)
• Mathematics Education Research Journal (MERJ)
• Teaching and Teacher Education (TATE)
• The Journal of Mathematical Behavior (JMB)
• ZDM – Mathematics Education (ZDM)

Public engagement

Selected recent invited presentations for mathematics education research audiences include:

• Scheiner, T. (2022, Aug). Learning to value students’ mathematical ideas: a reorientation in teacher education. Invited speaker at the School of Education of Macquarie University. Sydney, Australia.
• Scheiner, T. (2021, Dec). Supporting prospective mathematics teachers in noticing students' mathematical strengths. Invited speaker at the Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon. Lisbon, Portugal.
• Scheiner, T. (2021, Jul). Critical remarks on the notion of unpacking mathematics in discourses of teacher knowledge. Invited presentation at the 14th International Congress on Mathematical Education (TSG 33: Knowledge in/for teaching mathematics at secondary level). Shanghai, China. (virtual conference)