Derk Pik is a teacher educator in mathematics and leads the eco-beta team of teacher educators at the Interfacultaire Lerarenopleidingen (ILO) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He has worked as a mathematical researcher in operator theory and taught at a secondary school in Amsterdam for 14 years.
His core activities are in mathematics education and educational outreach. Education has become less prominent in many bachelor's and master's programs, resulting in a decrease in the number of university-trained secondary school teachers. This could be detrimental to the future enrollment of students in the Netherlands. Derk Pik played a significant role in establishing the training program for computer science teachers and the development of a trajectory for second career teachers.
Continuously, he initiates efforts to bring beta (science and mathematics) research to secondary schools and to integrate education into university beta subjects. He is part of the steering committee of Bètapartners and serves on the jury of the KNAW Onderwijsprijs for natural sciences and technology. Together with Laura Kubbe, Nicos Starreveld, Raf Bocklandt, and André Heck, he develops education-related courses for FNWI bachelor's and master's students. One of the courses Education and Communication in Mathematics actively engages students in mathematics outreach.

Expertise and research field

• Educational research in Mathematical modeling

Other links

Steering Committee Bètapartners

https://www.betapartners.nl/

Member of jury KNAW onderwijsprijs

https://www.knaw.nl/fondsen-en-prijzen/knaw-onderwijsprijs

Research methods

• Domain specific education
• Cooperative learning
• Learning of mathematical modeling
• Observation in the classroom

Current research interest

Mathematical modelling has become a major subject in secondary school teaching in the Netherlands, and it is a compulsory part of the final exam. However, it is lacking in the larger part of lower secondary education. We study how to improve modelling ability of students in lower secondary education by classroom observations. We pay special attention to the ability of assumption making.

BA

• Education and Communication in Mathematics (FNWI) (together with Raf Bocklandt, Nicos Starrevelt, Laura Kubbe

MA

• Educational Tools for Science Studens
• Post-master Education
• Analysis for Teachers
• Vakdidactiek Wiskunde (Pedagogy of Math Education)
• Educatief Ontwerpen (Educational Design)

PhD Projects

Derk supervises one PhD student, Sevinç Göksen, in the field of secondary school education in mathematical modeling.