Prof. Dr. Anna Sfard is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of mathematics education, recognized for her pioneering contributions to the theory of learning as a communicative process, known as the “commognitive” framework. Her research bridges mathematics, psychology, linguistics, and philosophy, offering a transformative perspective on how people learn, teach, and use mathematics as a discourse. A Professor Emerita at the University of Haifa and former Lappan-Phillips-Fitzgerald Professor at Michigan State University, she has also held visiting and distinguished fellow positions at leading global institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley; University College London; the University of Melbourne; and the University of Bergen. Her extensive publication record, editorial board memberships, and keynote lectures at major international conferences reflect her central role in shaping contemporary mathematics education research. Prof. Sfard’s work emphasizes the interplay between thinking, communication, and identity, redefining learning as participation in mathematical discourse. She has mentored numerous graduate and doctoral students, many of whom have become prominent researchers, and has served on influential committees for the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) and major educational journals. Her scholarship continues to influence how mathematics learning and teaching are conceptualized worldwide, advancing both theoretical insight and practical implications for education.
Profiles: Scopus | Orcid
Featured Publications
Sfard, A. (2023). The devil’s finest trick: Routines that make teachers matter against their better judgement. Journal of Curriculum Studies.
Sfard, A. (2022). The conversation that never stopped. ZDM – International Journal on Mathematics Education.
Sfard, A. (2021). Taming fantastic beasts of mathematics: Struggling with incommensurability. International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 7(3), 349–366.
Sfard, A. (2020). Learning, discursive faultiness and dialogic engagement. In Routledge International Handbook of Research on Dialogic Education (pp. 119–135). Routledge.
Chan, M. C. E., & Sfard, A. (2020). On learning that could have happened: The same tale in two cities. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 59, 100815.