Helena P. Osana, Ph.D.
Professor, Education
Visiting Professor, University of Wisconsin--Madison while on sabbatical

Office: |
S-FG 6419 Faubourg Ste-Catherine Building, 1610 St. Catherine W. |
Phone: | (514) 848-2424 ext. 2543 |
Email: | helena.osana@concordia.ca |

Biography
Dr. Osana, Concordia University Research Chair in Mathematical Cognition and Instruction, is an educational psychologist who investigates children’s thinking in mathematics and the instructional factors that impact their learning. Her recent focus is on how children interpret and use external knowledge representations, such as concrete objects (i.e., “manipulatives”), drawings, and standard written notation. Cognitive underpinnings of the research include the development of children’s symbolization, analogical reasoning, conceptual and procedural knowledge, and relational thinking, all of which inform Dr. Osana’s work on the effects of instructional interventions. Her research is conducted with teachers and children in classroom settings. She brings her research findings to professional development settings to support teachers’ classroom practice in the areas of fractions, place value, number sense, and counting.
Education
Ph.D. (Educational Psychology), University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1998
M.A. (Mathematics and Science Education), University of British Columbia, 1989
B.Sc. (Mathematics and Statistics), McGill University, 1986

Research activities
Current Projects
Mathematics Teaching and Learning Lab
Horizon Post-doctoral Fellow
Anne Lafay, Ph.D., Université Laval
Recent Collaborators
Martha W. Alibali, University of Wisconsin—Madison
Jeffrey Bisanz, University of Alberta
Donna Kotsopoulos, Huron College at Western
Jo-Anne LeFevre, Carleton University
Patricia Moyer-Packenham, Utah State University
Jérôme Proulx, Université du Québec à Montréal
Anna Sierpinska, Concordia University
Jennifer Suh, George Mason University
David Uttal, Northwestern University
Students
Recent Graduates
Symposium
Osana, H. P., Host (January 17, 2017). SM2ART: Supporting Meaningful Mathematics Action Through Research and Training, Concordia University, Montreal, QC.