Dr. Candela’s background in education is as a middle school educator. She graduated with her bachelors in mathematics with a minor in education from St. Bonaventure University in western New York, and then moved to Charlotte, NC to teach 7th grade mathematics at a middle school. She then moved to Boone, NC to receive a Master's degree in Mathematics Education at Appalachian State University. Upon graduating she moved to New York City where she taught 8th grade mathematics for three years at a Pre-K – 8 school in Spanish Harlem. She decided she wanted to have greater impact on the education of future mathematics teachers, at all levels, and went to the University of Georgia to pursue a Ph. D in Mathematics Education. While at UGA, she taught various mathematics methods classes for elementary and secondary mathematics majors and participated in research around mathematics teachers use and implementation of high cognitive demand tasks. Upon graduating in 2014, she accepted a position as an assistant professor of mathematics education at UMSL.
While at UMSL she has designed and implemented methods classes for elementary education majors and prospective middle and secondary mathematics teachers. Her current research interests include research around using an observation protocol as a means to support teachers' use of high cognitive demand tasks. Her overall research interests include the professional development of mathematics teachers at all levels and prospective and in-service teachers use and implementation of high cognitive demand tasks.
