Building Relationships and Resources to Address Inequities in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Catalog description

To teach mathematics in equitable ways requires teachers to value students' out-of-school life and be partners with families and communities in supporting students' identity development and mathematics learning. We start the course with acknowledging and challenging our own biases about communities and cultures. We then see how we can build caring relationships with students and enact care for students through effective and equitable mathematics pedagogy that values students' cultures and interests. We consider families and communities as partners with knowledge and resources that support students' learning and help students to build positive mathematics identities as learners. We learn ways to act beyond our classrooms to challenge a history of power, privilege, and oppression in mathematics education. Readings for this course integrate topics beyond mathematics teaching and learning. For example, we learn about the nuanced roles of community in rural and urban areas, the nature of caring relationships with adults that encourage and guide students, and the ways in which people in a community engage in democratic citizenship. The readings include both theory and lived examples from educators. To complement readings, we invite classroom teachers and other educators via virtual visits to share specific events or practices through which they have developed supportive relationships with parents and families. We also ask them to share how they engage in their local communities to form productive relationships as they come to see families and communities as resources and partners in supporting students. Drawing on theory, empirical findings, and practice, we work to answer such questions as: What do you do to communicate with your students in a way that shows you care about their lives both as mathematicians and as individuals outside the classroom? How do you engage with parents and families of your students in ways that support students' learning and well-being? How do you work as a member of your students' community? What are strategies and tools that teachers use to connect with parents and communities?