UNCG Dorothy White Presentation

 Dr.  Dorothy  Y.  White,  University  of  Georgia  Yopp  Distinguished  Speaker  Series  in  Mathematics  Education  

March  4,  2014  

Characterizing  Preservice  Teachers’  Mul5cultural  

Mathema5cs  Disposi5ons  

Warm-­‐Up  

  Think  about  your  first  teaching/academic  job  and  the  students  you  encountered.      How  would  you  describe  your  students?  department?  school?    What  did  people  value?    What  did  you  have  to  learn  and  do  to  work  in  that  space?    

  Think  about  your  second  teaching/academic  job  and  the  students  you  encountered.    How  would  you  describe  your  students?  department?    What  did  you  use  from  your  first  job  to  help  you  in  your  second  

job?    What  did  you  have  to  learn  and  do  to  work  in  that  space?  

Warm  Up  

  Culture  has  been  characterized  as  the  consistent  ways  in  which  people  experience,  interpret,  and  respond  to  the  world  around  them;  It  represents  the  “ways  of  being”  of  a  collec5ve  popula5on    

(Marshall,  2002,  p.8)  

  As  an  African  American  female  and  Na5ve  New  Yorker,  I  experienced  culture  shock  when  I  moved  to  Maryland  and  then  to  Georgia.  

Research  is  oWen  biographical.  

Overview  

  Background  

  Overview  of  MCMD  

  Descrip5on  of  the  Unit  

  Tool  list  Ac5vity  and  Preliminary  Findings    

  Analysis  Ac5vity  

  Conclusions  and  Implica5ons  

  Audience  Feedback  and  Sugges5ons  

Background  

  The  rela5onship  between  culture  and  learning  is  well  documented  in  the  literature  (Boaler,  2006;  Engle,  2006;  Gu5errez  &  Rogoff,  2003)  

 Mathema5cs  classrooms  are  cultural  spaces  where  various  forms  of  knowledge  and  self  are  validated  (Nasir,  Hand,  and  Taylor,  2008)      

Background  

Teacher  educa5on  ins5tu5ons  are  responsible  for  challenging  Preservice  teachers  to:    Cri5cally  reflect  and  discuss  issues  of  diversity  (de  Freitas,  2008;  

Kidd  et  al,  2008;  Leonard  &  Evans,  2008;  Rousseau  &  Tate,  2003)  

  Understand  and  learn  how  to  recognize  students’  cultural  backgrounds  while  engaging  them  in  challenging  mathema5cs  (Kitchen,  2005;  Leonard,  2008)  

  Develop  mul5cultural  disposi5ons  (Dunn,  2005;  Garmon,  2004;  Mills  and  Ballantyne,  2010  )    

Background  

Mathema5cs  teacher  educa5on  researchers  are  designing  and  studying  experiences  for  preservice  teachers  to:    Classroom  observa5ons  and  lesson  planning  (Aguirre  et  al.,  

2013;  de  Freitas,  2008;  Drake  &  Norton-­‐Meier,  2007;  Koestler,  2012;  Leonard  &  Evans,  2012);    

  Field  placements  and  student  interviews  in  diverse  sekngs  (Dunn,  2005;  Fernandes,  2012;  Guiterrez,  2009;  Leland  &  Murtadha,  2011),    

  Family  and  community  funds  of  knowledge  projects  (Civil,  2007;  Drake  &  Norton-­‐Meier,  2007;  Turner  et  al.,  2012)    

Background  

These  experiences  are  designed  to  help  PSTs  become  "culturally  conscious"  (Bennen,  1995;  Gay,  2002;  Villegas  &  Lucas,  2002)  of  their  own  cultural  socializa5on  in  mathema5cs  educa5on  and  to  understand  how  this  socializa5on  affects  their  aktudes  and  behaviors  toward  cultures  of  other  ethnic  groups.    

Background    Teachers’  disposi5ons  toward  students’  cultural  background  play  an  

important  role  in  their  teaching  prac5ces  and  effec5veness  (Thornton,  2006)  

  Garmon  (2004)  iden5fied  three  disposi&onal  factors  as  “cri5cal  in  facilita5ng  the  changes  that  occurred  in  [a  preservice  teacher’s]  beliefs  about  and  aktudes  toward  diversity”  (p.  204).    

  However,  we  need  to  further  iden5fy  the  essen5al  factors  that  comprise  cri5cal  reflec5on  and  responsive  disposi5ons  in  mathema5cs  educa5on.    

  Preservice  teachers  need  to  develop  disposi5ons  in  mathema5cs  that  I  call  mul$cultural  mathema$cs  disposi$ons  (MCMD)    

Background  

“habits  of  mind  including  both  cogni5ve  and  affec5ve  anributes  that  filter  one’s  knowledge,  skills,  and  beliefs  and  impact  the  ac5on  one  takes  in  classroom  or  professional  sekng.”    

(Thorton,  2006,  p.  62)    

Extending  Garmon’s  work  Garmon  (2004)   White,  Murray  &  Brunaud-­‐Vega  (2013)  

Openness  is  “Recep5veness  (i.e.,  open-­‐mindedness)  to  others’  ideas  or  arguments,  as  well  as  recep5veness  to  diversity”  (p.  202).    

Openness  is  recep5veness  to  the  role  of  culture  in  teaching  and  learning  mathema5cs,    

Self-­‐awareness/self-­‐reflec$veness  is  “Having  an  awareness  of  one’s  own  beliefs  and  aktudes,  as  well  as  being  willing  and/or  able  to  think  cri5cally  about  them”  (p.  202).  

Self-­‐awareness/self-­‐reflec$veness  is  perceiving  the  differences  between  one’s  own  culture  and  other  cultures,  awareness  of  personal  beliefs  about  teaching  and  learning  mathema5cs  or  mathema5cs  classroom  culture;  and  (3)  the  ability  to  think  cri5cally  about  those  issues.    

Commitment  to  social  jus$ce  is  “A  sense  of  social  jus5ce  as  a  commitment  to  equity  and  equality  for  all  people  in  society”  (p.  202).    

Commitment  to  culturally  responsive  pedagogy      

MCMD  

  MulAcultural  mathemaAcs  disposiAons  are  intended  to  encourage  mathema5cs  teachers  to  see  mathema5cs  as  a  cultural  ac5vity  and  their  role  as  a  mediator  between  students’  culture  and  mathema5cal  learning.    

  Mul5cultural  mathema5cs  disposi5ons  are  characterized  by  three  disposi5onal  factors:    1.  Openness  2.  Self-­‐awareness/Self-­‐reflec5veness  3.  Commitment  to  culturally  responsive  mathema5cs  teaching    

MCMD:  Openness  

Openness  is  recep5veness  to  the  role  of  culture  in  teaching  and  learning  mathema5cs.  It  includes  being  open  to:    

1.  others’  cultures  and  arguments  about  teaching  and/or  learning  mathema5cs    

2.  the  idea  that  different  cultures  may  think  about  and  do  mathema5cs  differently  than  oneself    

3.  the  inclusion  of  culture  in  mathema5cs  classrooms    

4.  the  value  of  using  culturally  responsive  strategies  to  teach  mathema5cs    

MCMD:  Self  Awareness/Self  Reflectiveness  

Self-­‐awareness/self-­‐reflec&veness  is  understood  as  perceiving  the  differences  between  one’s  own  culture  and  other  cultures.  Thus,  we  iden5fy  mathema5cs  teachers’  self-­‐awareness/self-­‐reflec5on  as:    

1.  awareness  of  their  personal  culture  beyond  recognizing  that  they  are  different  than  others    

2.  awareness  of  their  own  beliefs  about  the  influence  of  culture  on  teaching  and  learning  mathema5cs  or  mathema5cs  classroom  culture  they  have  experienced    

3.  the  ability  to  think  cri5cally  about  those  issues    

MCMD:  Commitment  

Commitment  to  culturally  responsive  mathema&cs  teaching  as  the  explicit  inten5on  of  teachers  to  use  culturally  responsive  strategies  in  the  classroom.  Commitment  includes:  

1.  using  “the  cultural  knowledge,  prior  experiences,  frames  of  reference,  and  performance  styles  of  ethnically  diverse  students  to  make  learning  encounters  more  relevant  to  and  effec5ve  for  them”  (Gay,  2000;  p.  29)    

2.  holding  high  expecta5ons  for  all  children    

3.  exposing  children  to  rigorous  mathema5cs  

Research  Questions  

 What  are  preservice  teachers’  mul5cultural  mathema5cs  disposi5ons  (MCMD)  during  a  cultural-­‐awareness  mathema5cs  unit?  

 How  can  we  characterize  preservice  teachers’  MCMD?  

Context  

Large  College  of  Educa5on  

Three  Cohorts  of  Preservice  Teachers  

  Elementary  (PreK-­‐5),  Elementary  Mathema&cs  Methods  II    

  Middle  Grades  (4-­‐8),  Middle  Grades  Mathema&cs  Methods  I  

  Secondary  (7-­‐12),  Mathema&cs  Pedagogy  II  

Context  

Context  Cultural  Awareness  Unit  

The  unit  enabled  us  to  discover  preservice  teachers’  awareness  of:      

1.  the  role  of  culture  in  the  teaching  and  learning  of  mathema5cs  2.  stereotypes  about  who  can  do  mathema5cs    3.  strategies  to  teach  mathema5cs    

The  unit  consisted  of  three  parts:    1.  ar5cle  search  and  cri5que    2.  class  discussions    3.  post-­‐discussion  reflec5on    

Component Tasks Development  of  MCMD

ArAcle  search  

and  criAque

  Search  for  and  write  reflec5on  about  

teaching  or  learning  mathema5cs  to  

students  who  are  culturally  different  

than  themselves

  Self-­‐awareness  by  iden5fying  their  own  

culture  and  comparing  to  others.  

  Openness  by  learning  culturally  relevant  

strategies.  

  Openness  by  learning  how  others  do  

mathema5cs.

Class  discussion   Share  cultures  and  strategies  

discussed  in  ar5cle.  

  Define  culture  and  create  cultural  

tool  list.  

  Discuss  how  culture  relates  to  

mathema5cs  classrooms.  

  Discuss  stereotypes.

  Openness  by  learning  from  peers.  

  Self-­‐awareness/self-­‐reflec5veness  by  

reflec5ng  on  personal  experiences  in  the  

mathema5cs  classrooms.

Post-­‐discussion  

reflecAon

  Write  reflec5on  on  unit   Openness  and  self-­‐awareness  as  defined  

above.  

  Commitment  by  encouraging  them  to  

adopt  culturally  relevant  strategies.

Article  Critique    Preservice  teachers  are  interested  in  the  following  cultures:  Black/African  

American,  Hispanic/La5no,  English  language  learner,  Low  SES,  Japanese,  Indian,  Rural  White,  Eskimo,  and  Aboriginal.  Some  of  their  ar5cles  discussed  mul5ple  cultures.    

  Journals  they  explored  included:    Black  Issues  in  Higher  Educa5on    Educa5onal  Leadership      Interven5on  in  School  &  Clinic,      Journal  of  American  Indian  Educa5on,    Journal  of  Learning  Disabili5es,    Mathema5cs  Teacher,      Mul5cultural  Educa5on,    NCTM  1997  Yearbook  on  Equity,    PME-­‐NA  Proceedings,      Teaching  Children  Mathema5cs    Urban  Review.    

Kola  Nut  Activity  

  The  kola  nut  offering  is  an  aged  cultural  tradi5on  that  is  prac5ced  in  some  West  African  socie5es.  

  The  offering  is  a  symbol  of  welcome,  peace,  and  hospitality  to  guests.  

  We  welcome  you  to  this  conversa5on  to  be  conducted  in  a  peaceful  and  posi5ve  manner.  

(Ukpokodu,  2002)  

Culture  is  the  consistent  ways  in  which  people  experience,  interpret,  and  respond  to  the  world  around  them;  It  represents  the  “ways  of  being”  of  a  collec5ve  popula5on…    

[E]lements  of  culture  include:  food,  language,  music,  and  beliefs  about  good  and  evil…  Culture  is  a  feature  of  all  human  groups  and  is  shaped  by  historical,  social,  poli5cal,  economic,  and  even  geographical  factors.  

Addi5onally,  culture  is  oWen  reinforced  (posi5vely)  through  our  contacts  with  societal  ins5tu5ons.  Whether  we  experience  such  reinforcement,  however,  largely  depends  on  the  status  posi5on  of  the  cultural  group  to  which  we  belong.    

Marshall  (2002)  

What  is  culture?  

  Culture  is  learned,  therefore  it  is  adaptable  and  vulnerable  to  changes.  

  Substan5ve  cultural  changes  rarely  occur  quickly  or  easily.  

  Through  conscious  (and  sub-­‐conscious)  resistance,  people  tend  to  defend  and  protect  their  culture.  

  Our  own  cultural  ways  of  being  tend  to  strike  us  as  ordinary,  usual,  and  normal.  Consequently,  we  are  oWen  oblivious  to  the  peculiari5es  of  our  own  culture.  

  It  is  not  uncommon  for  other  people’s  cultural  ways  of  being  to  strike  us  as  quaint,  strange,  or  even  pathological.  

Marshall (2002)

A  few  common  features  of  culture…  

Cultural  Tool  list:  What  is  your  culture?  

 On  the  handout,  create  a  cultural  tool  list  by  lis5ng  ten  elements  of  your  culture.  These  are  the  things  that  define  who  you  are  and  how  you  see  the  world.  

 Let’s  share  our  cultures.  

2  Preservice  Teachers’  Tool  lists  

Preservice  teachers’  cultures  

 Family    

 Geography    

 Religion    

 Personal  traits  and  values    

 Poli5cs  

Sharing  our  culture  

  What  cultural  elements  do  we  share?  

  What  cultural  elements  do  we  not  share?  

  Have  you  ever  been  in  a  situa5on  when  you  were  part  of  the  “other”  culture?  What  did  you  do?  

  What  cultures  exist  in  mathema5cs  classrooms?  

Analysis:  3  Voices  

The  unit  allows  us  to  examine  the  different  ways  preservice  teachers  talk  about  issues  of  culture  in  mathema5cs  educa5on.    

  Academic  Voice  –  Ar5cle  Cri5que  

  Informal/Conversa5ons  Voice  -­‐  Class  Discussions  

  Reflec5ve  Voice  –  Post  Reflec5on  Paper  

Each  voice  is  heard  because  we  are  situa5ng  them  differently.  

Openness  

Everywhere  you  go,  you  will  see  a  child  who  has  a  different  ethnicity.  I  feel  that  it  is  incredibly  important  that  I  know  and  understand  different  techniques  to  help  children  of  another  culture  relate  to  the  mathema5cs  that  I  will  be  teaching.  As  a  teacher,  my  goal  is  to  take  children  from  where  they  are,  and  help  them  to  move  a  linle  farther  in  their  educa5on.  I  also  think  that  this  ar5cle  will  help  me  to  think  outside  the  box  a  linle.      

June  

Self  Awareness/  Self  Reflectiveness  

I  have  not  felt  the  oppression  that  all  of  these  minority  groups  have  endured  in  the  United  States.  Although  I  am  a  female,  I  feel  as  though  minority  groups  oWen  encounter  many  more  roadblocks  and  nega5ve  stereotypes  than  women  do.    

)  

I  feel  that  because  classmates  and  I  were  Caucasian,  many  of  our  teachers  assumed  we  could  handle  the  work  load  that  we  were  given,  even  if  some  of  us  were  not  academically  adept  in  that  regard.      

Commitment  

As  a  future  teacher,  I  will  try  to  be  pa5ent  with  my  students  and  try  to  communicate  mathema5cal  concepts  to  them  in  terms  that  are  culturally  appropriate  for  the  group  of  students.      

Karen  

As  I  read  the  ar5cle,  I  thought  back  to  myself  about  learning  math  in  elementary  school  and  I  feel  that  these  ac5vi5es  would  have  really  benefited  me  as  a  learner.  I  plan  to  use  one  or  some  of  these  ac5vi5es  in  my  future  classroom.      Judy  

An  Exercise  in  Coding  Construct   Indicators  

Openness   TL-­‐  Open  to  learn  strategies  to  teach  math  to  culturally  diverse  students.  D-­‐  Open  to  the  idea  that  different  cultures  may  think  about  and  do  mathema5cs  differently  from  you.  I-­‐  Open  to  include  culture  in  math  classrooms.  V-­‐  See  the  value  of  using  culturally  relevant  strategies  to  teach  math.    

Self-­‐Awareness/  Self-­‐Reflec5veness  

AC-­‐  Awareness  of  ones  membership  in  a  collec5ve  or  community  AP-­‐  Awareness  of  their  personal  culture  beyond  recognizing  that  they  are  different  than  others  AM  Awareness  of  their  own  beliefs  about:  •  Culture  in  teaching  and  learning  mathema5cs    •  Mathema5cs  classroom  culture  they  have  experienced,  (ME)  CS  Thinks  cri5cally  about  the  intersec5on  of  various  culture  such  as  teacher’s  culture,  students’  culture,  classroom’s  culture,  and  school’s  culture.    

Commitment   Commined  to  using  CR  teaching  and/or  using  CR  strategies  

Conclusions  and  Implications  

  Preservice  teachers  need  direc5on  to  understand  “no  culture  is  monolithic;”  and  that  they,  along  with  their  students,  will  create  a  classroom  culture  that  either  supports  or  hinders  student  learning  of  mathema5cs.    

For  the  most  part,  however,  the  discussion  reinforces  my  no&ons  that  we  teach  to  diversity  everyday,  no  maDer  who  is  in  our  classes.  Even  if  our  students  are  all  Caucasian,  all  from  middle-­‐class  homes,  and  all  labeled  average  learners,  they  are  not  the  same.  They  learn  differently,  they  enjoy  different  ac&vi&es,  and  they  each  have  different  strengths  that  they  can  contribute  to  the  classroom.    

Conclusions  and  Implications  

  Cri5cal  reflec5on  and  discussion  influenced  preservice  teachers  understanding  of  the  role  of  culture.  

  Mathema5cs  teacher  educators  must  explicitly  tackle  issues  of  culture,  diversity,  and  stereotypes  in  methods  courses  to  develop  PSTs’  MCMD.  

  The  cultural-­‐awareness  unit  provides  a  reasonable  star5ng  point  for  the  iden5fica5on  and  development  of  produc5ve  prac5ces  and  habits  of  mind  in  cohorts  of  preservice  teachers.  

Let’s  Talk:  Questions  we  are  exploring  

  In  what  ways  can  we  use  the  data  to  characterize  the  PSTs’  MCMD?  

  What  are  PSTs’  MCMD  in  various  contexts?  

  In  what  ways  do  MCMD  influence  classroom  instruc5on  and  learning?  

  How  can  we  measure  MCMD?  

  How  do  you  balance  teaching  mathema5cs  content  and  pedagogy  while  also  teaching  about  culture?  

Let’s  Talk  

Ques5ons  and  Sugges5ons  Help  

 Thank  You!!