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1. Teacher practices for culturally responsive math modeling in grades K-2.

   Turner, E.; Carlson, M.; Aguirre, J.; Suh, J.; Brown, J.; Greene, M.; McVicar, E. (November 2024, North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)

   Lamberg, T. (Ed.)

   There is growing recognition that mathematical modeling can be a lever for equity in elementary mathematics classrooms. This study focuses on the impact of a professional development program focused on culturally responsive mathematical modeling on 8 kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers’ practices in modeling lessons. We use a project developed observation tool to evaluate two video recorded modeling lessons from each teacher (16 total). Findings focus on patterns in the strengths and challenges in primary grade teachers’ practices for teaching modeling, including how teachers’ practices align with culturally responsive teaching. We discuss implications of our findings for the design and refinement of professional development. 

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2. Dynamical Systems and Mathematical Practices for Future Secondary Teachers

   Cruz, G; Santos, J; Fortune, N; Carney, D; Rasmussen, C (February 2024, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)

   Cook, S; Katz, B; MooreRusso, D (Ed.)

   The relevance of upper division mathematics courses for future secondary teachers is a longstanding thorny issue. Suggested improvements include capstone courses and revised upper division content courses to explicitly address future teachers’ relevant secondary mathematics content knowledge, beliefs about teaching and learning, and experience with learning mathematics while engaging in authentic mathematical practices. In this report, we investigate prospective teachers’ reflections on their opportunities in an upper division Inquiry-Oriented Dynamical Systems course to engage in the eight Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. Analysis of students’ self-reported engagement in the eight Practices revealed five practices that strongly resonated with them and the various ways that their experiences in an inquiry-oriented classroom supported meaningful and powerful engagement in these Mathematical Practices. We conclude with implications for practice. 

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3. Leveraging Equity and Civic Empathy through Community-Based Mathematical Modeling

   Aguirre, J. M.; Suh, J.M.; Tate, H.; Carlson, M. A.; Fulton, E. A.; Turner, E. E (January 2022, North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)

   A. Lischka, E. Dyer (Ed.)

   This theoretical paper describes how Community-based Mathematical Modeling can advance equity and cultivate civic empathy in elementary school settings. We provide a framework for community-based mathematical modeling instruction consisting of five goals: facilitating connections, fostering engagement, promoting rigor, cultivating civic empathy, and elevating justice. We illustrate how these goals work together to advance equity and cultivate civic empathy through classroom vignettes of community-based modeling lessons. Through this theoretical synthesis, implications for community-based mathematical modeling instruction will be discussed. 

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4. Translanguaging in Mathematics Learning: Teacher Instructional and Attentional Supports

   Gilmore, M. (January 2020, ProQuest dissertations theses global)

   Students from less-dominant linguistic backgrounds generally have less opportunity to participate in classroom mathematical discourse compared to their English-dominant peers. An issue raised by mathematics education researchers concerned with issues of equity and opportunities for students is that status quo classroom practices and norms supported by teachers may be less familiar to students from non-dominant linguistic groups, or even detrimental to their classroom participation. Additionally, students who position themselves as doers of mathematics usually come from dominant cultural and linguistic groups (Abreu & Cline, 2002; Hand, 2012), potentially disposing students to perceive classroom mathematics learning through the lens of dominant cultural norms and practices. Thus, students who do not come from dominant linguistic backgrounds might perceive the mathematics classroom differently than their English dominant peers. However, less research has been conducted on how mathematics teachers attend to or notice norms around language and introduce new ones that encourage a multitude of linguistic practices, therefore heightening student participation. Heightening student participation can have implications for students being more likely to identify with mathematics. Additionally, examining students’ participation when using a multitude of linguistic practices or translanguaging is helpful for teachers attending to their own practice to support emerging bilingual students and bilingual students when engaging in mathematical sensemaking. 

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5. Understanding Preservice Elementary Teachers as Mathematical Modelers and Their Perceptions of the Process

   https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2022-0127  

   Wickstrom, Megan H; Jung, Hyunyi (August 2024, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education)

   A growing consensus holds that preservice K–8 teachers (PSTs) need to experience the modeling process as learners to understand it and envision teaching modeling in their future classrooms. We examine this recommendation by exploring how PSTs construct models and how collaborative learning practices influence them in revising and refining their models. We also explore their reflections on modeling as a pedagogical experience. We introduce Modeling Decision Maps as a tool to examine how PSTs construct and refine mathematical models, and we draw on reflective journal entries to capture PSTs’ perspectives on the process. Our findings indicate that realistic modeling tasks provide opportunities to foster PSTs’ understanding of modeling, grow their mathematical modeling skills, and attune them to important pedagogical practices. 

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