Research & Publications | Darrell Earnest 1

Research & Publications.

Explore a wide range of publications and research works curated by Darrell Earnest. This collection includes research papers and educational resources aimed at fostering a culture of continuous learning and development in Funds of Knowledge and Time literacy.

Research

Time Literacy

The Time Literacy Project seeks to support the time literacy skills for all undergraduates, including those who are neurodivergent and may think differently. The project seeks to understand the sociocultural resources that support academic progress over time. This work seeks to honor individuals, their needs, and how they think as critical aspects to making progress. Rather than traditional time management, which typically references productivity alone, time literacy positions academic progress as once component of overall well-being and thriving.

For more information on the online Time Literacy course, please click here.

Computational Thinking Funds of Knowledge in Grades K-2

From a sociocultural perspective, learning and assessment are most effective when reflecting the prior knowledge and experiences of children (e.g., Vygotsky, 1978, 1986). Yet, we know that the experiences of historically minoritized students are less likely to be represented (Randall, 2021). Seeking to address this disparity, a funds of knowledge (FoK) perspective positions the experiences of minoritized children and families as rich with knowledge, history, and potential for integrating into classroom practices.

For more information on FoK research click here.

Curricular Noticing

As a math methods instructor for UMass early childhood and elementary methods courses, I observed that the very materials teachers encounter had bearing on what they were actually able to plan and do in elementary mathematics instruction. Connected to my interest in representations, how do curriculum materials support teachers’ decision-making involving how and when to draw upon particular manipulatives or representations? Yet, we identified a paradox (Earnest & Amador, 2019): How do we prepare teachers to teach with curriculum materials given that we know it mediates students’ experiences and learning, yet at the same time we cannot possibly know which curriculum materials a teacher may encounter in their first year?

Publications

Earnest, D., & Crowley, Z. (2025). Time literacy: Academic support for neurodivergent students in higher education. Cognition and Instruction 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2025.2463652

Recent Presentations

Earnest, D., & Hong, Y. (2024). Time Literacy: Investigating Academic Support for Undergraduates that Includes Student Well-being. Poster Presentation at the New England Educational Research Association Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Earnest, D., & Hong, Y. (2024). Time Literacy: The Role of Time Representations in Neurodivergent Undergraduates’ Academic Support. Presentation at the Research Conference for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Chicago, IL.

Earnest, D. (2024). Time Literacy: Reimagining ‘Time Management’ Support to Include Learning and Thriving. Presentation at the Landmark College Summer Institute, Putney, VT.

Earnest, D., Crowley, Z., & Adams, R. (2023). Time Literacy: Academic support for undergraduates with a learning disability. Presentation at the Northeastern Educational Research Association Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Related project publications on time and mathematical representations
in elementary grades

Earnest, D. (2022). About time: Syntactically-guided reasoning with analog and digital clocks. Mathematical Thinking and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2021.1881703

Earnest, D., & Chandler, J. (2021). Making time: Words, narratives, and clocks in elementary mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 52(4), 407-443. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2021-0020

Earnest, D. (2019). The invisible quantity: Time intervals in early algebra. Infancia y Aprendizaje / Journal for the Study of Education and Development.1-57. doi: 10.1080/02103702.2019.1615199

Earnest, D. (2017). Clock work: How tools for time mediate problem solving and reveal understanding. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(2), 191-223. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.2.0191

Earnest, D. (2015). From number lines to graphs in the coordinate plane: Problem solving across mathematical representations. Cognition and Instruction, 33(1), 46-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2014.994634