Jennifer Way

Jennifer Way is an Associate Professor in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD in Mathematics Education and a Bachelor of Education (Primary). As a researcher in effective pedagogies for mathematics education, she lectures in primary and early childhood mathematics curriculum and pedagogy. Her research specializations include the role of representations in the learning and teaching of mathematics, with a focus on the development of children's mathematical drawing, embodied learning in early mathematics and science, student engagement and motivation in mathematics, STEM education in primary contexts, teacher professional learning and identity, and the integration of ICT in primary mathematics education. Way has authored or co-authored 57 publications, accumulating 952 citations and over 57,000 reads on ResearchGate.

In her career at the University of Sydney, Way serves as the Undergraduate Primary Education Program Director and was Primary Program Manager for the Sydney STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy from 2017 to 2024, delivering evidence-based professional learning for primary teachers in interdisciplinary STEM projects. She leads the Embodied Learning in Early Mathematics and Science (ELEMS) project (2021-2024), funded by the NSW Department of Education's Strategic Research Fund, which develops teaching strategies, professional learning resources, and assesses the impact of embodied activities on number sense development for pre-school to Year 2 students. Key publications include "Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation" (2025, Education Sciences), "Turn left, turn right: An embodied perspective on children’s difficulties with left/right spatial orientations" (2024), "Embodied Learning in Early Mathematics Education: Translating Research into Principles to Inform Teaching" (2024, Education Sciences), "Approaches to investigating young children’s mathematical activity" (2023, Mathematics Education Research Journal), and contributions to books such as "Understanding Mathematics for Young Children." Her work influences classroom practices by promoting visual, embodied, and multiple representations to enhance conceptual understanding in early mathematics.

Professional Email: jennifer.way@sydney.edu.au