David J. Whitin is a Professor of Elementary Education at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. A former elementary school teacher and principal, David teaches courses in mathematics education, inquiry learning and current issues in elementary education. He has published widely in mathematics, language, science and early childhood journals. His early collaborative work in the 1990’s made an important contribution to a fuller understanding of young children’s thinking and reasoning in mathematics (Living and Learning Mathematics and Mathematics in the Making [Heinemann]). David was also one of the first educators to investigate the potential of integrating literature into the mathematics classroom. His early work in this area showed how literature can be an effective catalyst for inspiring rich mathematical discussions and investigations (Read Any Good Math Lately? and It’s the Story that Counts [Heinemann]).

Phyllis Whitin is Professor of Elementary Education at Wayne State University, where she teaches courses in literacy and children’s literature. Coming to higher education after many years of teaching in preschool through middle school, she has maintained her commitment to classroom research and the application of theory to instruction. This research focuses on multimodality and integrated, inquiry-based curriculum. Sketching Stories, Stretching Minds (Heinemann) and a variety of journal articles have earned her recognition in the area of visual response to literature, arts integration and multimodal composing. In addition to her presentations on these topics, she was invited to co-establish the Commission on Arts and Literacies, under the Conference on English Education, National Council of Teachers of English. Phyllis was a recipient of Wayne State’s 2010 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The Whitins have conducted extensive, collaborative research on inquiry-based instruction and integrated curriculum. Their research about a year-long study of birds in Phyllis’s fourth grade classroom resulted in their first co-authored book, Inquiry at the Window (Heinemann). In this book, which one educator has called “one of the best books ever written on fostering scientific thinking in young children,” the Whitins describe a collaborative community of inquirers who learned to develop the habits of mind of professional scientists. Another central theme in the Whitins’ work involves the many connections between language and mathematics. They have written numerous articles for both language and mathematics journals, and have authored the only two books that have been co-published by the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Math is Language Too, and New Visions for Linking Literature and Mathematics. The first book describes specific ways that reading, writing, and talking can help to build a community of mathematical thinkers. In the second book they offer criteria for choosing quality math-related books and successful strategies for using them with children.

David and Phyllis are regular presenters at national and regional conferences. They also serve as consultants in content area literacy for the National Council of Teachers of English.