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The Effects and Consequences of Teaching Mathematics for Social JusticeJames StricklandNCSU2011

BackgroundLong standing issues that disadvantaged specific subgroups in our country are still prevalent today (Fennema & Sherman, 1978; Peterson, & Fennema, 1985; Armstrong, 1981; Secada, 1989; Johnston & Viadero, 2000; Scott, 2010; Nisbett, 2011)The country has made strides in granting equity by allotting basic rights to these subgroupsHowever, the woeful mis-education of their young ensures that these groups stay marginalized (Woodson, 1933; Coleman, 1966; Freire, 1970)

Why is a social justice pedagogy important?Research suggests that student perception of self and of their ability affect their ability to learn Mathematics (Brookover, Thomas, & Paterson 1964; Anderson 1970; House 1975; Fennema & Sherman 1978; Burchinal et. al. 2011; Wonnacott 2011)Research also suggests that citizens need five components in order to be de-marginalized: Awareness, Access, Analysis, Advocacy, and Activism (Stevelos, Fowler & Nelson, 1999; Gau 2005)Social Justice seeks to achieve these components and believes in doing so it will improve a students self concept and belief in their ability to do mathematics (Gau 2005)

What is a social justice pedagogy?There are many definitions of social justice pedagogy.The definition that most closely fits my understanding is Eric Gutsteins (2003):An important principal of a social justice pedagogy is that students themselves are ultimately part of the solution to injustice, both as youth and as they grow into adulthood. To play this role, they need to understand more deeply the conditions of their lives and the sociopolitical dynamics of their world. Thus, the teacher could pose questions to students to help them address and understand these issuesAs students begin to address questions that have meaning in their lives, they begin to understand the forces and institutions that shape their world and to pose their own questions. These processes of helping students understand, formulate, and address questions and develop analyses of their society are critical components of teaching for social justice and may be encapsulated as "developing sociopolitical consciousness" or conscientizagdo, as Freire (1992) called it. Without these tools, students cannot work for equity and social justice. Finally, teaching for social justice also includes helping students develop positive social and cultural identities by validating their language and culture and helping them uncover and understand their history (Murrell, 1997) (pgs. 39-40).

What does a Mathematics Social Justice Pedagogy look like?A SJ classroom, typically, has:A balanced power dynamicExpects participation from all studentsHas a culture of risk-takingOpen and free dialogueUtilizes open-ended, real-world problems that encourages critical thinking and sociopolitical thinkingCommunity relevantContent appropriate

Gutstein (2003), Gau (2005), Gregson (2011)

Constraints, Benefits, and Consequences of implementing a Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice PedagogyNationalCommunitySchoolTeachersStudents

NationalThe National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics is credited with starting the war between reformers and traditionalist advocates in mathematics (Schoenfield, 2004).Economic Pressures (Schoenfield, 2004)Political Pressures (Guiterrez, 2010)Lack of reform evidence (Schoenfield, 2004)Errors in implementation (Schoenfield, 2004)The establishment (Skovsmose, 2004)

CommunityResearch indicates that students knowledge and beliefs in how their community works is more important to a typical student than the knowledge a student gains in the classroom (Boaler, 1999; Powell, 2004; Quintos, B., Bratton, & Civil, 2005; Civil, 2007)Therefore for a mathematical SJ pedagogy is to succeed it must be relevant to a students community life.It also must invite participation and involvement from the community to increase dual by-in (Civil, 2007)

SchoolA schools structure typically models white middle class values causing students and families from differing values to feel disconnected (Lareau, 1987)Broaden the definition of current values (Lareau, 1987)Accept and utilize that families are the master source of math knowledge (House, 1975)Work with the community to develop a clear and consistent vision (Valero, 2001, 2008)Teachers conform to the teaching mores that are established at their school (Shakman, 2009)

TeacherTeachers must ensure the curriculum is relevant to the students and the teachers livesGutstein, 2003Teachers generally avoid topics for which their subgroup is blamed historically, e.g. males avoid sexism, white teachers avoid racism, etc.Gau, 2005; Mitescu, Cochran-smith, & Pedulla, 2005Each lesson must be tailored to a specific class, for a specific teacher, for a specific situation that is dependent on the school and community environment (Gutstein 2003, Gau 2005, Gregson, 2011)

StudentTeaching mathematics for social justice requires active participation from the studentsHowever there is debate as to how one should make students participate and whether making students participate is democraticSupporters have tried multiple techniques with varying levels of success:Guided Controversy (Lesser, 2007)Engaging culturally relevant problem solving (Gutstein, 2003)Limited Selection (Gau, 2005)Studies have shown contradictory outcomes as to the effects on student performance on standardized testMitescu, Cochran-smith, & Pedulla, (2005) found that the greater the implementation of a SJ pedagogy resulted in greater student outcomesBoaler (1999) found that schools that encouraged students to pursue topics relevant to their personal lives underperformed on exams when compared to their traditionally trained peers.

Discussion and ImplicationsReform advocates advocate for an alien style (Gutstein, 2003; Schoenfield, 2004)Teaching mathematics for social justice is not marketable for its successful implementation is dependent upon many variables that are regionally, locally, and societally unique.Teaching mathematics for social justice is often viewed as supplementary and not a core approachThere appears to be an inherent contradiction between the aim of teaching mathematics for social justice and its beliefs

Future ResearchFurther research and/or narrowing of the definition of social justice pedagogy is needed to move research forwardFurther research is needed onto the long-term effectiveness of implementing teaching mathematics for social justice pedagogyEffectiveness should be measured in terms of both student academic achievement and teacher retentionMore research techniques need to be employed as only 1 out of 32 studies after 1999 utilized a quantitative approach and the vast majority consists of research-participant studiesFurther research is needed on determining if there are more commonly held beliefs in disparate communities than is currently supposed

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