Ying Zhang

PhD Candidate· Mathematics Education · University of Cambridge · yingzhangcam@gmail.com

As a third year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge, my publication and research interests are in the area of mathematical pedagogy, mathematical creativity, and creative self-efficacy. Prior to this, I completed my MPhil degree in Education at the University of Cambridge with Distinction, and a bachelor's degree in Science (Mathematics Specialist) from the University of Toronto with High Distinction, achieving 100% in the course of Real Analysis (See my 100% Final Exam here, the class average was 50%).

In addition to my academic pursuits, I am also an educational blogger with 300k followers on which I share free mathematics knowledge to students of all levels, ranging from elementary to university level. In 2017, I ventured into entrepreneurship during my undergraduate studies in Toronto by founding and operating the nail design salon "Le Secret Nails," where I assumed the roles of both founder and principal nail designer.

Leadership

Currently, I serve as:

  • Managed the CERJ team and established the responsibilities to each member, including delegating tasks and recruiting sub-editors; conducted regular editorial board meetings to discuss journal-related matters, policies, and upcoming initiatives.

  • Collaborated with the editorial team to promote the journal and attract high-quality submissions; Received submissions from UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, and McGill University. 

  • Oversee the peer review process, ensuring the quality/integrity of the review decisions; acted as gatekeepers between authors and reviewers; Made the first decisions on whether the manuscript would be moving foward to the peer review stage and make final decisions on which manuscripts to accept and reject.

  • Mathematics Blogger with 300k followers

  • Mathematics blogger with 250k followers on Xiaohongshu and 70k on Bilibili, videos received 1.6 millions likes.

  • Share free mathematics related videos to students spanning from elementary to university, mainly focusing on K12 levels; share pedagogy-related videos to K12 teachers for teaching improvement. Videos encompassed my instruction on geometry, functions, statistics, and calculus. 

  • Collaborated with educational institutions, including TOEFL, TAL Education, and Zuoyebang, for promoting their educational products; invited by secondary schools for delivering speech/talks to thousands of students in 2023.

  • Panel Coordinator of Cambridge China Education Forum (CCEF) 

  • Founded the panel of “STEM Education” and created the theme of “Reconceptualizing STEM Education”.

  • Invite speakers (e.g., Prof Andreas J. Stylianides, Prof Frederick k.S. Leung) and host forums on two key issues: (1) How can we enhance students’ learning and teachers’ teaching in Mathematics and Science Education? (2) How can we best understand and support creativity in students, teacher designs, and the learning and teaching process?

  • Aimed to bridge the gap between scholars and practitioners of STEM Education and facilitate cross-border dialogues on China’s education and its global implications among stakeholders.


I have served as:

  • Founder and Nail Designer of the Le Secret Nails at Toronto in Canada             2017-2019

  • Managed and coordinated all operational activities of the salon, including budgeting, product procurement, recruitment, marketing, and advertising; exceeded business goals and revenue by 100%-200% on a daily level.

  • Designed high-qualified nail art and selected nail decorations appealing to clients by utilizing fashion expertise.

  • Sold the salon in 2019 before my departure to Cambridge.

  • Work as a temporary research assistant for Cambridge Mathematics Framework (CMF), providing consultancy services and expert advice on project development to ensure its success.

  • Contracted to assist Ukarine government with their project by mapping international curricula to the CMF.

  • Mathematics Research Assistant, University of Cambridge                                           2022

  • Work as a temporary research assistant for Cambridge Mathematics Framework (CMF), providing consultancy services and expert advice on project development to ensure its success.

  • Contracted to assist Ukarine government with their project by mapping international curricula to the CMF.


Publications

Conference proceedings

Zhang, Y., & Stylianides, A. J. (2024). Exploring the role of pedagogy in mathematical creative self-efficacy: A comparative study of two schools in China. In, Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education. Sydney, Australia. 

Zhang, Y. (2024). Does student-centered pedagogy really foster mathematical problem solving compared to teacher-centered pedagogy? In, Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education. Sydney, Australia.

Zhang, Y., & Stylianides, A. J. (2023). A comparative case study of the mathematics pedagogy in two Chinese schools: How “student-centered” is a proclaimed reformed pedagogy? In P. Drijvers, C. Csapodi, H. Palmér, K. Gosztonyi, & E. Kónya (Eds.), Proceedings of the Thirteenth Congress of the European Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13) (pp. 3666-3673). Budapest, Hungary.  

Zhang, Y. (2023). Exploring the role of pedagogy in Mathematical creativity via multiple-solution tasks: A comparative study of two schools in China. In M. Ayalon, B. Koichu, R. Leikin, L. Rubel., & M. Tabach (Eds.), Proceedings of the 46th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME46) (Vol. 4, pp.379-386). Haifa, Israel. 

Zhang, Y. (2022). Chinese teachers' views on the difficulties of implemeting roblem-based learning in Chinese matheamtics classrooms. Proceedings of the 45th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME45) (Vol. 4, pp. 324). Alicante, Spain. 

Zhang, Y. (2022). Chinese teachers’ views on implementing problem-based learning in the Chinese mathematics classroom. Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, 41(3).

journal articles

Zhang, Y., & Rasman, R. (2024 October). Editorial. Cambridge Education Research e-Journal, Vol.11, 1–2. 

Zhang, Y., & Stylianides, A. J. (under review). Submitted to xxxx. 

ELABORATION ON RESEARCH

Reformed Teaching • Creative Self-efficacy • Creativity • Pedagogy •

Reformed Teaching

In progress

Creative Self-efficacy

In progress

MATHEMATICS Creativity

- Explore the relationship between pedagogy and mathematical creativity by comparing students who experienced more student-centered pedagogy (SCP) with that of students who experienced more teacher-centered pedagogy (TCP).

- Evaluate mathematical creativity in terms of fluency, flexibility, originality, and Creative Thinking Level (CTL). 

Pedagogy

in progress

Some of my mathematics

Math Courses

I have completed the following mathematics courses during my undergraduate studies:

  • Real Analysis

  • Abstract Algebra

  • Group Theory

  • Number Theory

  • Complex Variable

  • Advanced Algebra

  • Ordinary Differential Equation

  • Nonlinear Optimization

  • Probablity and Statistics

  • Mathematics History

  • Python

Math Teaching

  • Grade 7 Math Teaching:

  • Grade 8 Math Teaching

  • Grade 9 Math Teaching

  • Grade 10 Math Teaching

  • Grade 11 Math Teaching

  • Calculus Teaching

Math Software

  • Proficient in using GeoGebra software for mathematical visualization.

  • Proficient in utilizing Classin for creating mathematics instructional videos and conducting online courses.

  • Proficient in statistical software such as STATA, SPSS, and Microsoft Excel for data analysis, visualization, and mathematical modeling; Often conducted the Logistic regression odds ratio, factor analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation.

  • Video editing: Proficient with video editing software such as CapCut to create engaging content and event coverage.

Policy Interpretation

Interests

  • Sports: I love ice skating and longboarding, enjoy the exhilarating feeling and pursuit of balance.

  • Art: I love designing nail art and served as the principal nail designer in Toronto; I love fashion and dressing nicely.

  • Photography: I have Sony and Fuji cameras, really enjoy capturing photos with a film-style aesthetic.

  • Travel: I have visited/lived in 13 countries and 60 cities.

  • Music: I love singing karaoke and playing the Piano.

  • Social: I enjoy interacting with people and sharing thoughts through coffee chat, board games, and blogging.

  • Cooking: Chopping and Cooking make me relax and clear my mind; absolutely love spicy food and have even tackled the Buffalo Wings level 10 hot option!

  • Writing: When I was in high school, I wrote:"If mathematics is the mystery, writing would be the key"; I'm currently in the process of writing my biography.

  • Astrology: I am super interested in Zodiac signs and MBTI (I'm Aries & ENTJ).

Contact

Ying Zhang
Christ's College
St. Andrew's st, Cambridge

University of Cambridge