Culturally Specific Pedagogy in the Mathematics Classroom


Book Description

"Culturally Specific Pedagogy in the Mathematic Classroom offers a wide variety of conceptual and curricular resources for teachers interested in teaching mathematics in a way that challenges stratification based upon race, class, gender and other forms of oppression that students face in todays world. With the publication of this book, all teachers will have available to them instructional strategies in mathematics for meeting the academic needs of culturally diverse students. They will have an explanation of the linkage between culture and students mathematical cognition and problem solving. The ease in which Leonard brings the reader along, and the caring way she tells a story about making mathematics a fun and social justice experience makes for an exciting learning opportunity for all students and teachers." Carl A. Grant, University Wisconsin-Madison, United States, From the Foreword "Mathematics educators are in a period of deep concern about our ability to educate all students in mathematics. Most students of color do not have the opportunities to fully learn mathematics. Nothing more important can be done for these students and their teachers than to publish this book addressing the miseducation of these students and offering a way to change what we are doing." Carol E. Malloy, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, United States This compelling text advocates the use of culturally specific pedagogy to enhance the mathematics instruction of diverse students. It accomplishes this by making clear the link between research and practice and offering lesson templates that teachers can use with ethnically and culturally diverse students and with females. Specifically, the text draws on sociocultural theory and research on culture and mathematics cognition to focus on three goals: using qualitative research to extend the literature on culturally based education to African American and Latina/o c




Culturally Responsive Teaching


Book Description

The achievement of students of color continues to be disproportionately low at all levels of education. More than ever, Geneva Gay's foundational book on culturally responsive teaching is essential reading in addressing the needs of today's diverse student population. Combining insights from multicultural education theory and research with real-life classroom stories, Gay demonstrates that all students will perform better on multiple measures of achievement when teaching is filtered through their own cultural experiences. This bestselling text has been extensively revised to include expanded coverage of student ethnic groups: African and Latino Americans as well as Asian and Native Americans as well as new material on culturally diverse communication, addressing common myths about language diversity and the effects of "English Plus" instruction.




Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks, K-5


Book Description

Empower your students as they reimagine the world around them through mathematics Culturally relevant mathematics teaching engages and empowers students, helping them learn and understand math more deeply and make connections to themselves, their communities, and the world around them. The mathematics task provides opportunities for a direct pathway to this goal; however, how can you find, adapt, and implement math tasks that build powerful learners? Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks helps teachers to design and refine inspiring mathematics learning experiences driven by the kind of high-quality and culturally relevant mathematics tasks that connect students to their world. With the goal of inspiring all students to see themselves as doers of mathematics, this book provides intensive, in-the-moment guidance and practical classroom tools that empower educators to shape culturally relevant experiences while systematically building tasks that are standards-based. It includes A pathway for moving through the process of asking, imagining, planning, creating, and improving culturally relevant math tasks. Tools and strategies for designing culturally relevant math tasks that preservice, novice, and veteran teachers can use to grow their practice day by day. Research-based teaching practices seen through the lens of culturally relevant instruction that help students develop deep conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, fluency, and application in all K-5 mathematical content. Examples, milestones, opportunities for reflection, and discussion questions guide educators to strengthen their classroom practices, and to reimagine math instruction in response. This book is for any educator who wants to teach mathematics in a more authentic, inclusive, and meaningful way, and it is especially beneficial for teachers whose students are culturally different from them.




Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education


Book Description

At a time of rapid demographic change and amidst the many educational challenges facing the US, this critical new collection presents mathematics education from a culturally responsive perspective. It tackles the most crucial issues of teaching mathematics to an ethnically diverse school population, including the political dimension of mathematics education within the context of governmental efforts to improve achievement in school mathematics. Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education moves beyond a point of view that is internal to mathematics education as a discipline, and instead offers a broad perspective of mathematics as a significant, liberating intellectual force in our society. The editors of this volume bring together contributions from many of the leading teachers, teacher educators, researchers, scholars, and activists who have been working to reorient mathematics education in ways that reflect mathematics education as accomplished, first and foremost, through human interactions.




Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks, 6-12


Book Description

Empower your students as they reimagine the world around them through mathematics Culturally relevant mathematics teaching engages students by helping them learn and understand math more deeply, and make connections to themselves, their communities, and the world around them. The mathematics task provides opportunities for a direct pathway to this goal. But many teachers ask, how can you find, adapt, and implement math tasks that build powerful learners? Engaging in Culturally Relevant Math Tasks helps teachers to design and refine inspiring mathematics learning experiences driven by the kind of high-quality and culturally relevant mathematics tasks that connect students to their world. With the goal of inspiring all students to see themselves as doers of mathematics, this book provides intensive, in-the-moment guidance and practical classroom tools that empower educators to shape culturally relevant experiences while systematically building tasks that are standards-based. It includes A pathway for moving through the process of asking, imagining, planning, creating, and improving culturally relevant math tasks. Tools and strategies for designing culturally relevant math tasks that preservice, novice, and veteran teachers can use to grow their practice day by day. Research-based teaching practices seen through the lens of culturally relevant instruction that help students develop deep conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, fluency, and application in 6-12 mathematical content. Examples, milestones, opportunities for reflection, and discussion questions guide educators to strengthen their classroom practices, and to reimagine math instruction in response. This book is for any educator who wants to teach mathematics in a more authentic, inclusive, and meaningful way, and it is especially beneficial for teachers whose students are culturally different from them.




Bringing the Culture to Mathematics


Book Description

African-American and Latinx students are losing out on opportunities to take part in high-paying careers and higher education because of a lack of mathematical proficiency. The institutional and individual factors that are present in K-12 school systems create feelings of alienation and disidentification in African-American and Latinx students from math. The most prominent being the inequitable math experiences that are prevalent in low-income schools where minority students make up the majority. Failing to provide African-American and Latinx students with a mathematics curriculum and instruction centered on their experiences, culture, and traditions is a deterrent to the achievement of equity in mathematics education. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in mathematics builds on students' cultural capital, prior knowledge, and mental schemas that supports African-American and Latinx students to acquire academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical awareness. However, educators do not possess a depth of understanding and/or the self-efficacy to implement culturally relevant pedagogy into their math classrooms. Lesson studies, a system of collaborative efforts and live instruction, is a promising professional development model that addresses this issue. This study utilized a mixed method approach to understand how lesson studies impacted three middle school math teachers' competency in culturally relevant pedagogy by exploring: (1) In what ways does the lesson study model help teachers gain a better understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy? (2) In what ways does the lesson study model support teachers in creating, refining, and analyzing culturally relevant, cognitively demanding mathematical tasks? And, (3) In what ways does the lesson study model support teachers in deciding on effective pedagogical moves?




Family and community in and out of the classroom: Ways to improve mathematics’ achievement


Book Description

Family and community in and out of the classroom introduce the reader to the field of family engagement in mathematics teaching and learning processes. Scientific evidence collected by the European Union throughout many different studies in a number of research programs, highlights researchers' increasing interest for the role that families play in the process of learning. There is a set of evidence demonstrating the positive impact of family engagement and students' performance. In this book we collect the main findings achieved in the frame of FAMA - Family Math for Adult Learners. Drawing on these results, it seems clear that activities conducted in and out of the classroom have a strong impact on students' scores in mathematics. Throughout this book, the reader will find what are the main trends in mathematics family education in Europe and other World regions, as well as what are the more successful actions in this field.




Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain


Book Description

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection




Building Mathematics Learning Communities


Book Description

“Opportunity to learn (OTL) factors interact and ultimately influence mathematics achievement. Many important OTL interactions take place in school settings. This volume provides insights into the role of peer interactions in the mathematics learning process. The analysis describes with a sense of purpose a topic that is typically overlooked in discussions of mathematics reform. The case study is an important contribution to the urban mathematics education literature.” —William F. Tate, Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis Drawing on perceptions, behaviors, and experiences of students at an urban high school—both high and low achievers—this timely book demonstrates how urban youth can be meaningfully engaged in learning mathematics. The author presents a “potential” model rather than a “deficit” model, complete with teaching strategies and best practices for teaching mathematics in innovative and relevant ways. This resource offers practical insights for pre- and inservice teachers and administrators on facilitating positive interactions, engagement, and achievement in mathematics, particularly with Black and Latino/a students. It also examines societal perceptions of urban students and how these affect teaching and learning, policies, and mathematics outcomes. Based on extensive research in urban high schools, the author identifies three key principles that must be understood for teachers and students to build strong mathematics communities. They are: Urban students want to be a part of academically challenging environments. Teachers and administrators can inadvertently create obstacles that thwart the mathematics potential of students. Educators can build on existing student networks to create collaborative and non-hierarchical communities that support mathematics achievement. Erica N. Walker is Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.