More Like this

1. Modeling for social justice: A Model-Eliciting Activity on gerrymandering

   Spitzer, S.M. ( October 2019 , Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)

   Mathematics educators and researches have recommended that pre-service secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs) need opportunities both to engage in rich mathematical modeling and also to examine issues of social justice and equity. This poster describes a model-eliciting activity which aims to engage PSTs in mathematizing and modeling the social justice issue of gerrymandering. In the activity, PSTs are given a variety of data (including printed maps as well as the area and perimeter of congressional districts) and challenged to construct a mathematical model of “compactness.” PSTs must iteratively refine their model to rank congressional districts from most to least compact. This model-eliciting activity draws on geometric topics including a consideration of area, perimeter, scale, and attributes of shapes, while simultaneously provoking PSTs to reflect on the use of mathematics to inform public policy and positively transform our world. 

   more » « less
2. Cultivating K-8 Teachers’ Critical Consciousness Through Social Justice Mathematical Modeling: The Teacher Pay Task

   https://doi.org/10.5951/MTE.2023-0039  

   Wickstrom, Megan H ; Lopez-Mercado, Christian ; Jung, Hyunyi ( September 2024 , Mathematics Teacher Educator)

   Social justice mathematical modeling is powerful in helping teachers build awareness of social issues, critique existing systems, and engage in rich mathematical reasoning. In this article, we document a task in which 28 preservice teachers (PSTs) explored if teacher pay is fair and how to define “fair” mathematically. Through qualitative analysis of PSTs’ reflections, we studied the effectiveness of the task through the lens of critical consciousness. Twenty-six of the participants reported developing social and mathematical agency with respect to the task. Because the task related to PSTs’ lived experiences, it allowed them to examine their assumptions about teacher pay, empowered them to use mathematics to explore different perspectives, and helped them envision ways they could enact change.

    

   more » « less
3. The UTE model: Developing pre-service teachers’ visions of high-quality mathematics instruction.

   Bieda, K. ; Arbaugh, F. ; Cirillo, M. ( January 2019 , Proceedings of the 41st annual conference for the North American chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference)

   The University Teaching Experience (UTE) model is a field experience where secondary mathematics PSTs teach in a first-year undergraduate mathematics course coinciding with their first methods course (Bieda et al., Accepted). Teacher educators mentor PSTs in planning and teaching in the UTE, supporting PSTs to enact ambitious teaching practices early in teacher preparation. We report results of our assessment of PSTs’ vision for high-quality mathematics instruction (VHQMI) at the outset of the UTE, which inform mentoring of PSTs during the UTE. 

   more » « less
4. Preparing Preservice Teachers to be Agents of Social Justice: Examining the Effectiveness of Using Literature Circles in a Reading Methods Course

   Davis, Cheron H. ( January 2021 , Florida journal of educational research)

   null (Ed.)

   This study, rooted in the evaluation of a reading methods course, sought to determine the implicationsfor preservice teachers (PSTs) who participated in literature circles that intentionally used multicultural literature to discuss social justice issues. Using an interpretative mixed-methods approach, we collected quantitative surveys and conducted individual interviews to determine the participants’ perception of the effects that the implementation method (literature circles) and the curriculum content (multicultural texts) had on their knowledge and professional efficacy. The findings of this study suggest that the course, with an embedded literature circle component, is an essential aspect of the broader teacher development program. Encouraging social activism, promoting recreational reading, and improving PSTs’ ability to facilitate literary discussions around issues of social justice increases their confidence and personal efficacy. Further longitudinal research should be conducted to determine the direct effects this would have on their ability to create change agents in their future classrooms. 

   more » « less
5. Preservice teachers learning to teach proof through classroom implementation: Successes and challenges

   Buchbinder, O. ; McCrone, S. ( June 2020 , The Journal of mathematical behavior)

   Proof and reasoning are central to learning mathematics with understanding. Yet proof is seen as challenging to teach and to learn. In a capstone course for preservice teachers, we developed instructional modules that guided prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs) through a cycle of learning about the logical aspects of proof, then planning and implementing lessons in secondary classrooms that integrate these aspects with traditional mathematics curriculum in the United States. In this paper we highlight our framework on mathematical knowledge for teaching proof and focus on some of the logical aspects of proof that are seen as particularly challenging (four proof themes). We analyze 60 lesson plans, video recordings of a subset of 13 enacted lessons, and the PSTs’ self- reported data to shed light on how the PSTs planned and enacted lessons that integrate these proof themes. The results provide insights into successes and challenges the PSTs encountered in this process and illustrate potential pathways for preparing PSTs to enact reasoning and proof in secondary classrooms. We also highlight the design principles for supporting the development of PSTs’ mathematical knowledge for teaching proof. 

   more » « less