I'm a part of the Social Justice Math group, so if you see some overlap between our documents, there's good reason: We're using google docs to brainstorm ideas relating to social justice math, to pinpoint a main topic question, to isolate queries for students and teachers, and to unpack the whole kit and kaboodle.
As of 1:27 pm this Monday, March 30, here is a brief sketch of things and where they stand:
TOPIC QUESTION:
Can social justice math (sjm) be an effective teaching method in urban school districts?
SUBTOPICS:
1. Using actual data or statistics, what can educators infer from sjm's implementation in the classroom?
2. Is sjm an effective form of teaching?
3. To gauge its effectiveness:
Does it raise student motivation and achievement?
What data illustrates/refutes this claim?
Which school districts employ sjm in the classroom?
4. Why do some districts choose not to employ sjm?
5. How do teachers feel toward using sjm in the classroom?
6. Can it help students deal with standardized testing?
QUALITATIVE DATA
1. Interview questions:
Tentative candidates for interview: Eliza Leszczynski, Brian Miller, Rick McNamee
Also possible: Math teachers or administrators from these high schools in NYC:
Harvey Milk HS (East Village)
New York City Algebra Project (Brooklyn)
Acorn High School for Social Justice (Brooklyn)
Bushwick School for Social Justice (Brooklyn)
Possible interview questions include:
1. How would you summarize the basic purpose behind social justice math (sjm)? What aspects of sjm are most important? Why? What to you are essential criteria for effective instruction using sjm?
2. What is your assessment of sjm? How do your peers in teaching view sjm? How do administrators (super-intendants, principals) in your experience view sjm?
3. Do you currently use sjm in your classes? If not presently, have you ever used sjm in your classes? If never, is it a methodology that you would like to use in math class? Why or why not?
4. Please describe your personal experiences using sjm in the classroom. What noticeable effects, if any, were apparent due to its implementation? What do you feel are the cause of these effects? What immediate effects, if any, has sjm had on your students? What long term effects, do you suppose, sjm has had on your students?
5. What do you feel are the positive outcomes of using sjm in a classroom? What do you feel are the negative aspects to using sjm in a classroom? Are these unique to teaching with sjm? With increased development, are they avoidable, or are they necessary aspects of teaching with sjm?
2. Survey questions:
For students through Brian Miller, Rick McNamee
For teachers at Harvey Milk HS, New York City Algebra Project, Acorn High School for Social Justice, Bushwick School for Social Justice, and other math teachers who agree to take our survey.
QUESTIONS (for students):
1. What does the term "social justice" mean to you? What could the term "social justice math" mean?
2. Do you feel that math should incorporate social, political and economic issues into its instruction, such as with a social justice math curriculum? Why/why not?
3. Is it important for students to have an understanding of social, political and economic issues locally and around the world?
4. Should developing a "social consciousness" be an important part of your educational experiences?
5. Have you ever heard of the "empowerment of students"? What do you think that could mean? Can math empower students to analyze and potentially change the world? How?
6. Are you familiar with the idea of higher-level thinking? Do you think higher-level thinking about larger mathematical ideas is important? Why/why not?
7. Could incorporating social justice math motivate more students to learn math?
8. Do you think math would be more engaging if it was "real world" rather than "theoretical"?
9. If you were given the opportunity, would you choose to participate in actual community problem-solving projects?
QUESTIONS (for teachers) [Note: there is some overlap between these question and the interview questions, though I have been conscious to limit the interview questions so that they are fewer and more open-ended in scope]:
1. What do you know about social justice math? How would you summarize its basic purpose?
2. Do you currently use social justice math in your classes?
3. What do you feel are the positive outcomes of using sjm in a classroom?
4. What do you feel are the negative aspects to using sjm in a classroom?
5. Please describe your personal experiences using sjm in the classroom. What noticeable effects, if any, were apparent due to its implementation? What do you feel are the cause of these effects?
6. Please provide examples of lessons you have brought to the classroom
incorporating sjm. Which were most effective? Why?
7. Rate the following on a scale of 1 (least likely) to 5 (most likely):
- Social justice math can help me differentiate the curriculum more easily.
- Social justice math can help me create interdisciplinary and thematic units.
- Social justice math can help me learn about my students' families and their communities.
- Social justice math can help me assess learning within a meaningful context.
3. Qualitative Research includes:
Christiansen. (2007). Some tensions in mathematics education for democracy.
a qualitative study of four mathematics classrooms and some of the tensions and benefits of teaching sjm.
Garii & Rule (2009). Integrating social justice with mathematics and science: an analysis of student teacher lessons
a qualitative analysis of how student teachers incorporate social justice into math and science classes
Gutstein, Lipman, Hernandez, & de los Reyes. (1997). Culturally relevant mathematics teaching in a Mexican American context.
a qualitative study of teaching elementary/middle school in a Mexican American community. The purpose of the project is to help teachers use what they know about their students' culture to improve students' learning of mathematics, and of other subjects as well, and to help students develop critical approaches to knowledge and the tools they will need to be agents of social change
Gutstein. (2003). Teaching and Learning Mathematics for Social Justice in an Urban, Latino School.
a qualitative study of 7th and 8th grade Latino/a students in a midwestern public school who learned mathematics using the curricular program Mathematics in Context (MiC) as well as special projects on sjm
Gutstein. (2006). The real World as We Have Seen It: Latino/a Parents' Voices on Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice
a qualitative study of Latino/a parents who supported social justice math in their children's 7th grade classroom in the Chicago public schools
Gutstein. (2007). And That's Just How It Starts: Teaching Mathematics and Developing Student Agency.
a two-year qualitative, practitioner-research study of teaching and learning for social justice.... research suggests that students learned mathematics and began to develop sociopolitical awareness and see themselves as possible actors in society through using mathematics to understand social injustices.
Skovsmose. (1994). Towards a Critical Mathematics Education.
This article uses a class project that uses sjm to explain math literacy (or mathemacy) and the importance of a critical mathematics education. It implements several units that could be used in a sjm setting.
Telese. (1999, May). Mexican American high school students' perceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching.
a survey of Mexican American high school students and their perceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching in traditional and reform classrooms.
Treisman. (1992). Studying Students Studying Calculus: A Look at the Lives of Minority Mathematics Students in College.
a lecture given as one of the Mary P. Dolciani lectures at Hunter College. Embeded within is a qualitative study of college freshman, in particular minorities (African americans and Asians), their motivation towards studying and understanding mathematics (calculus), and how the college system failed them
radicalmath.org
a chart of possible topics for sjm classroom use; how to implement sjm into the classroom; advantages and disadvantages to using sjm in the classroom
4. Quantitative Research includes:
West and Davis (2005). Research Related to the Algebra Project’s Intervention to Improve Student Learning in Mathematics.
A quantitative study of the Algebra Project as provided by Lesley College for the State of Virginia's Department of Education. It demonstrates that the Algebra Project served to bolster test scores for traditionally under-achieving students.
Winter (2007) Infusing Mathematics with Culture: Teaching Technical Subjects for Social Justice
A quantitative study that provides statistical data demonstrating that social and cultural learning can be infused into technical courses without negatively affecting content area learning
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