Michael Lutz Biography
I earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Indiana University –
Bloomington in 2000 with research interest in teacher education and teacher change.
Prior to that, I spent 29 years as a high school mathematics teacher, mostly in Indiana and
hold a life license in Indiana of secondary type, professional grade with mathematics
major. I hold a B.S. degree in mathematics from Kentucky Wesleyan College and a M.
S. T. in mathematics from the University of Dayton. The 2007-2008 academic year is my
eighth year in the mathematics department of California State University, Bakersfield and
my second year as a tenured, associate professor.
As would be expected during such a long high school teaching career, I taught
every mathematics course offered from ninth grade general mathematics through AP
calculus while teaching in Indiana. I served as a high school baseball coach for twentyfive years. In my brief career here at CSUB, I have taught more than a dozen different
courses. Especially during the final decade of my high school teaching career, I made
extensive use of technology such as computers and graphing calculators. As a high
school teacher, I was very appreciative of outreach activities that were offered to me by
the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University. Accordingly when I eventually
searched for a university position, I sought an institution that would allow me to work to
support K-12 teachers. CSUB has provided that opportunity as I have worked with
teachers in my many roles such as a Director for the Cal Poly / CSU Bakersfield
California Mathematics Project and Mathematics Consultant for CSUB GEAR UP, Kern
Educational Partnership (KEP), and Mathematics Professional Development Institutes
(MPDI). I have conducted and hosted teacher workshops, visited teachers’ classes as a
supportive observer by invitation, and modeled lessons for teachers whenever requested.
My professional activity includes more than sixty conference presentations during
the last ten years and membership in numerous organizations including the Association of
Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the California Association of Mathematics
Teacher Educators (CAMTE), the California Mathematics Council (CMC), TODOS:
Mathematics For All, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). I
was a charter member of the Board of Directors of CAMTE. In 2008, I became President
of the CMC Central Section and President-elect of CAMTE. I serve on the panel of
reviewers for articles submitted for publication to Mathematics Teacher, Mathematics
Teaching in the Middle School, and School Science and Mathematics. I have also served
as a reviewer for proposals from possible speakers at Psychology of Mathematics
Education – North America (PME-NA), American Educational Research Association
(AERA), and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) conferences. I
recently served as the Chair of the TODOS-TI California Task Force and in that capacity
organized and hosted a weeklong writing workshop on the CSUB campus that brought
together experts in teaching, in English Learner research, and TI Instructors.
I have a wife (Jane), two grown sons (Brant and Justin), a daughter-in-law
(Andrea), a granddaughter (Claire, born October 13, 2005), and a grandson (Samuel, born
January 13, 2008). I am a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bakersfield.