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The Contributors Behind Aha!Math

Barclay Burns, Ph.D.
Barclay F. Burns, Ph.D., co-founder of Learning.com and now on the faculty at Brigham Young University, earned his doctorate in instructional psychology and technology from Brigham Young University. His research in instructional psychology and cognitive neuroscience is reflected in Learning.com’s award-winning solutions for K-8 classrooms, including Aha!Math. His expertise in how students learn, how multimedia and digital curriculum can best be used to support student learning, and how to target student learning styles, contributed to Learning.com’s instructional design for Aha!Math.

Dr. Burns has seven years' experience teaching in a public high school in which he founded a "Community Bound" integrated education program. This program exposed students to real world applications of their learning and successfully solicited corporate sponsorship of innovative programs and trips. He has also worked on the development of BYU's extensive online distance learning applications, which include the delivery of curriculum and grades to students and parents over the Internet. Dr. Burns was also part of the Internet Strategy program at the University of Cambridge in England, where he taught and researched at the Judge Institute of Management. He is now part of the faculty at BYU’s College of Education and the Marriott School of Management, and is also pursuing his second doctorate at Cambridge. In his role at Brigham Young, Dr. Burns is focusing on teacher and administrator strategies for Response to Intervention (RTI) using instructional technology. He is also serving in a technology and education think tank administered by the College of Education’s dean.

Steve Wyborney
Steve Wyborney is the author of the Instruction Modules in Aha!Math. Mr. Wyborney has been an elementary classroom teacher for 14 years, teaching at the second through fifth grades, including six years as a looping teacher. Steve was honored with the L.E. Wesche Outstanding Educator Award, has served as a Scholastic Teacher Fellow, was a national finalist for the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award, and was named the 2005 Oregon Teacher of the Year. He became interested in using instructional animation to capture, revisit and interconnect a wide range of learning concepts while completing his master’s degree at Northwest Nazarene University. Since that time, he has shared with educators throughout the Northwest how to develop instructional animations that succinctly capture, extend and interconnect classroom learning experiences. He is currently teaching and serving as a math coach in Ontario, Oregon.

Michele Douglass, Ph.D.
Michele Douglass has spent more than 20 years in education working as a teacher, an administrator, and a director of a content group of leaders. Her experiences range from writing curriculum, designing and delivering professional development, and working directly with teachers to improve student achievement. Dr. Douglass, who earned her doctorate in instruction and curriculum, was an instrumental member of the Aha!Math content development team. She helped create the implementation models and professional development programs for Aha!Math, and worked with a California elementary school intercession program using Aha!Math to support improved student learning outcomes. Dr. Douglass is also experienced in curriculum mapping, and in providing professional development focused on using Aha!Math to drive improvements in student performance and increasing teacher capacity in math instruction. Dr. Douglass is president of MD School Solutions, Inc., a consulting company that supports schools, districts, and companies to improve student learning through the development of curriculum materials, improving teacher content knowledge, and creating a positive impact on instructional delivery.