Education | Experience | Professional Leadership Roles  Professional Affiliations| Selected Presentations & Publications Selected In-service & Workshops | Grants & Awards
Research Interests

• Ph.D.: Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (2001)

• M.A.:  Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (1990)
  Major: Elementary Education (Summa Cum Laude)   

• B.S.:   Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (1985)  
  Major: Elementary Education (Magna Cum Laude)                    
                  

• 1999-Present: Marshall University Huntington, WV
  Associate Professor
  Taught CI 633 Early Childhood Education: Adult Involvement in Early
     Education
  Taught 624 Advanced Instructional Strategies
  Taught CI 609 Elementary Education: Curriculum in the Modern Elementary School
  Taught CI 442/542 Instruction and Classroom Management in Elementary Education
  Taught CI 403/503, Methods for Teaching in the Middle Childhood Grades
  Taught 342 Literature and Language Arts Methods
  Taught CI 321 Early Childhood Curriculum and Methods
  Taught CI 201 Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
  Taught CI 101, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
  Supervised field experience students in CI 470/471, Level II Clinical Experience

• 1996-2000 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (regional campuses)
  Instructor
  Taught EDEL 330 and 331, Teaching Mathematics in Elementary Schools.
  Supervised related field experience in classroom laboratories, EDEL 330L and
     331L.
  Taught MATH 120, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers.
  Taught MATH 121, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers.
  Taught MATH 122, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers.

• 1985-1996 Portsmouth City Schools Portsmouth, Ohio

• 994-1995 Middle School Mathematics Teacher
  Taught sixth and seventh grade mathematics.

• 1985-1994 Elementary Teacher
  Taught second and fourth grade self-contained classrooms.
  Served as Building Computer Chairperson.
  Served as Fourth Grade Chairperson.
  Served on numerous committees concerned with curriculum development.

• 1982-1983 Miss Libby’s Preschool Wheelersburg, Ohio
  Preschool Teacher
  Developed curriculum and taught the preschool class for three year olds and the
  class for four year olds.

• 1994-1996 Project Discovery Teacher Leader, South Region of Ohio
  Responsible for developing and teaching a course focusing on probability and statistics activities with the goal of increasing in-service teachers’ understanding of related mathematical concepts as well as addressing pedagogical issues for six weeks summer institute. Responsible for providing support and guidance to participants of the summer institutes as the teachers endeavored to incorporate discovery learning in their classrooms. This was accomplished by regularly scheduled classroom visits. 

• 1994-1996 Project Discovery Teacher Leader, South Region of Ohio
  Responsible for planning and leading (as part of a team) follow-up sessions to the summer institute during the school year. Responsible for speaking to various groups (administrators, school boards) as an advocate of discovery learning with the purpose of generating administrators support of teachers employing inquiry learning in their district.

• 1995-1996 Cognitively Guided Instruction Teacher Leader, South Region of Ohio
  Involved in planning and leading follow-up sessions with K-3 teachers as they incorporated Cognitively Guided Instruction in their classrooms.
  Involved in planning and leading Cognitively Guided Instruction summer institute For K-3 teachers of Cincinnati Public Schools.
  

• American Educational Research Association

• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

• National Council of Teacher of Mathematics

• Ohio Council Teachers of Mathematics

• Phi Delta Kappa International

• West Virginia Council Teachers of Mathematics

• West Virginia Reading Association

• Murphy, R., Isaacs, T. and Sottile, J. (2003). What do pre-service elementary education teachers think about mathematics: Is self-efficacy really an issue? Paper submitted to the annual meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA). Hilton Head, SC.

• Isaacs, T., Murphy, R., Sottile, J. and Lucas, P. (2003). What characteristics do pre-service teachers report a ‘good’ teacher have to empower learners?. Paper submitted to the annual meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA). Hilton Head, SC.

• Sottile, J., Johnson, C., Murphy, R. and Klein, T. (2003). Using manipulatives: Is it worth it? The impact on student learning. Paper submitted to the annual meeting of the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA). Hilton Head, SC.

• Murphy, R. & Issacs, T. (2003) Thinking rationally about rational numbers. Proposal submitted to WVCTM for presentation at annual state conference in March 2003.

• Murphy, R. (2002). Instructional methods of high achievers on the mathematics section of Ohio’s fourth-grade proficiency test. Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Association’s annual meeting in Sarasota, Florida on March 2, 2002.

• Murphy, R. & Backus, M. (2002). Finding patterns in palindromes. Presentation at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ annual conference in Flatwoods, West Virginia, March 15-16, 2002.

• Sottile, J., Carter, W. & Murphy R. (2002). The influence of self-efficacy on school culture, science achievement, and math achievement among in-service teachers. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 1 – 5, 2002

• Murphy, R. (2002). What’s working with Ohio’s proficiency tests? Presentation at a meeting of the Marshall University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa on April 17, 2001.

• Murphy, R., Issacs, T. & Backus, M. (2002). Proposal accepted for presentation at l “Picture Books Across the Curriculum” accepted for presentation at the West Virginia Reading Association’s annual convention at the Greenbriar Conference Center in December 2002.

• Murphy, R., Bobango, J. & Sottile, J. (2003). Why do we invert and multiply and answers to other questions. Proposal accepted for presentation at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual convention in San Antonio, Texas in April 2003.

• 2001: Teaching children mathematics: Elementary mathematics activities for the classroom. In-service presented at Wheelersburg (Ohio) Elementary School for K-2 Teachers.

• 2001: Teaching children mathematics: Elementary mathematics activities for the classroom. In-service presented at Wheelersburg (Ohio) Elementary School for 3-4 Teachers.

• 2000: Using manipulatives in the elementary mathematics classroom. In-service presented at Meigs County (Ohio) for K-8 teachers.

• 1999: Elementary Mathematics Activities for the Classroom / Ross County (Ohio) K- 4 Teachers

• 1998: Ross County, Ohio Eisenhower Summer Institute (2 weeks)

• 1997: Pike County, Ohio Eisenhower Summer Institute (2 weeks)

• 1996: Scioto County, Ohio Eisenhower Summer Institute (5 weeks)

• 1994-1995: Project Discovery South Region of Ohio Summer Institute

• 1994: Ohio Council Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, Cleveland, Ohio
  “Fat Chance or What’s the Probability of That?”
  

• 1997: Pike County, Ohio Board of Regents Eisenhower Grant, principle investigator,
  Dr. Johnny Hill, Miami University

• 1996: Scioto County, Ohio Board of Regents Eisenhower Grant, principle investigator,
  Dr. Johnny Hill, Miami University, I played a major role in planning, writing, and implementing these grants.

• 1991: Nominated for Portsmouth City School’s Elementary Teacher of the Year.

• Instructional Practices in Elementary Mathematics

• Student Violence

• Bullies and Their Victims

• Instilling Resiliency in Children

• Problem solving in Elementary Mathematics

• Improving student efficacy in elementary mathematics

• Cognitively Guided Instruction

• Developmentally Appropriate Practices