For February, let’s consider how can we rehumanize mathematics?

I was able to attend and present at the NCTM Regional Conference in Chicago this past November/December.

Words that came up over and over again throughout the conference were: EQUITY, ACCESS, EMPOWERMENT, POWER, AUTHORITY, PRIVILEGE, IDENTITY and AGENCY.

These may not be the words you may initially think of when you think about major themes at a mathematics education conference but there is a definite shift in how the role of mathematics within a society is viewed, and who is being included and what voices are being heard.

The conference opened with a panel of speakers addressing issues of access, equity and empowerment.

The link to the archived Facebook live video form the opening session of the NCTM Regional Conference in Chicago on November 29 2017 is HERE

Kassia Omohundro Wedekind shared her thoughts on “hands down, speak out” practices, disrupting the traditional practice of having students putting their hands up to respond to questions, which in classrooms often reflects the inequities in society at large. She encourages teachers to create conversation maps of the mathematical discourse in their classrooms and to encourage all students to see themselves as mathematicians and contributors to the discourse.

Dr. Tyrone Howard discussed the issues of inequity in classrooms with regards to race. He affirmed the importance of context and that students’ issues of identity need to be addressed.

Annie Perkins shared practices from her own secondary classroom that support all her students in seeing themselves as mathematicians. She developed “The Mathematicians Project” with a focus on introducing students to mathematicians that are “not just white dudes”.

Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez is a well recognized researcher and author in the area of equity in mathematics. Over the last few years, her papers and presentations have focused on the idea of re-humanizing mathematics. Photos of some of her slides provide a beginning glimpse into her work. What stands out for you? What are curious about learning more about?

Another presentation from Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez that might be of interest and would be great to share with during a pro-d day to open up discussion around equity, access and culturally responsive pedagogies for all students:

NCTM 2016 ShadowCon: Stand up for Students 

Dina Williams closed the opening panel with stories from her classroom and her version of a powerful song –  A Change is Gonna Come.

Change has been a long time coming.

So to think about…

Do all of your students see themselves as mathematicians?

What mathematicians do you talk about in your class? Do you provide “mirrors and windows” for your students to see themselves in the curriculum and in others?

What types of mathematics do we privilege?

What is culturally responsive pedagogy in mathematics education?

How is mathematics necessary for engaging with ideas of social justice?

How can we broaden our understanding of math to de-center what is typically viewed as “school mathematics”?

How do we create mathematics experiences in our schools that are inclusive for all learners?

~Janice