Don S. Balka, a former middle school and high school mathematics teacher, is professor emeritus in the Mathematics Department at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. During his career as an educator, Balka has presented over 2,000 workshops on the use of manipulatives with elementary and secondary students at national and regional conferences of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, state mathematics conferences, and at inservice training for school districts throughout the United States. In addition, he has taught classes in schools throughout the world, including Ireland, Scotland, England, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Greece, Japan, and the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. In addition, Balka has written over 20 books on the use of manipulatives for teaching K-12 mathematics and is a coauthor of the Macmillan K-5 elementary mathematics series, Math Connects. Balka has served as director for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and School Science and Mathematics Association.
