Laura Bofferding

Laura Bofferding is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University's College of Education. Her career spans over a decade of progressive academic appointments, including Assistant Professor (2011-2017), Associate Professor (2017-2024), and current Professor (2024-present). She maintains active research and teaching roles focused on early mathematics cognition.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education from Stanford University (2011)
• M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology in Education from Stanford University (2007)
• B.S. in Elementary Education from University of Wisconsin, River Falls (2002)

Bofferding's research centers on cognitive development in early mathematics, particularly children's understanding of negative numbers, spatial reasoning through tangram puzzles, and the application of contrasting cases in instruction. Her work bridges theoretical cognitive science with practical classroom applications, emphasizing game-based learning and emergent bilingual education. Recent projects explore AI-generated word problems and programming debugging in elementary contexts, demonstrating her commitment to innovative pedagogical approaches.

Her publication trends reveal sustained focus on integer conceptualization (2014-2023), expanding into spatial reasoning (2022-2023) and AI integration (2024). Key thematic clusters include measurement misconceptions, tangram-based shape transformation, and debugging strategies in computational thinking.

Notable awards include:

• Purdue Faculty Engagement Scholar (2021)
• Purdue Faculty Scholar (2019)
• AMTE STaR Fellow (2012)

Bofferding secures significant grant funding including an NSF CAREER award ($680,504) for integer understanding research and a Purdue Launch the Future Grant ($25,000) investigating AI-generated word problems. Her advising focuses on mathematics education doctoral students through courses like EDCI 62000 (Developing as a Mathematics Researcher), with grant collaborations spanning computational thinking (NSF ITEST) and emergent bilingual education (Purdue Small Research Grant).