Margaret Smith
University of Pittsburgh
Professor Emerita
Dr. Margaret (Peg) Smith has had a career thoroughly dedicated to mathematics and furthering the knowledge of other educators. Dr. Smith has authored and co-authored nearly one hundred books and articles, impacting students and teachers of all levels. Having graduated from State University of New York, Fredonia, Smith went on to teach throughout the northeast United States. Working as a math teacher in New York, Ohio, and Michigan, then moving to Pennsylvania to eventually become Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout her career, Dr. Smith has been awarded numerous grants towards continuing education and research of mathematics. Smith has all been presented with the Susan Loucks-Horsley Award, both the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence and the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Pittsburgh, and the 2019 NCTM Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith is well known for her writing on professional development and math education, but it is her work with co-author Mary Kay Stein on 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussion that has been a hallmark of her career. Since being published in 2011, 5 Practices has become NCTM's best-selling book. The follow-up series, The Five Practices in Practice: Successfully Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions in Your (Elementary/Middle/High School) School Classroom, addresses the challenges one might face in implementing the five practices in classrooms by providing recommendations and concrete examples to avoid these challenges.
