Alden R. B. Ducharme

Alden Ducharme (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in Education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education where he specializes in mathematics teacher education under the mentorship of Dr. Yasemin Copur-Gencturk.

Alden earned his B.S. in Middle Level Education at the University of Vermont prior to joining USC Rossier. There, he researched pre-service mathematics teachers’ discourse practices during approximations of practice and conducted post-legislation research on proficiency-based grading and mathematics teacher learning scales. After graduating, he taught middle school mathematics and english in public, charter, and private school settings in the Boston area.

Prior to joining USC Rossier, Alden attended the University of Vermont, where he received his B.S. in Middle Level Education. Alden began his academic journey at UVM, conducting research on the discourse methods of pre-service mathematics teachers in a methods course during approximations of practice as well as additional post-legistlation research examining the content and structure of mathematics teachers' learning scales in a proficiency based grading context. Upon graduating, Alden taught middle level math and english in the Boston area at a variety of school settings.

Alden's professional experiences as an educator, and personal experiences as an LGBTQ+ student in a rural public school, shape his committment to cultivating equitable and high quality educational experiences for all learners. His current research interests explore the role of AI in providing accessible professional development for mathematics teachers, particularly to school systems with limited resources, and its impact on teacher content knowledge, pedagogical practice, and student learning.

• Ducharme, A., Smith, C. P., & King, B. (2022). Pre-Service Teachers’ Discourse Moves During Whole Class Mathematical Discussions: An Analysis and Proposed Framework. Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, 13(2), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.52214/jmetc.v13i2.9385
• Smith, C.P., King, B., Dennehy, A. et al. In-the-moment discussions during launch rehearsals: an analysis of participation, substance, and structure. J Math Teacher Educ (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-024-09677-9