Integrating social justice into middle school mathematics
Creators: name: Bialick, Erica
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2021

description: This dissertation is a qualitative exploration designed to identify the notions that mathematics teachers have about how teaching practices impact student learning and development in addition to exploring where there might be room for growth or change in teaching practices. A problem identified with current mathematics teaching supports the assumption that students who lack competence in mathematics are falling farther and farther behind their grade level peers. In this study, 11 middle school math teachers from two campuses in the same district were interviewed. Teachers were asked to provide insight into the inner workings of their classroom, and to consider strategies to improve student learning. Specifically, this study investigated the ways in which math teachers conceptualized culturally responsive pedagogy, and examined whether teachers were willing to implement these practices in their classrooms with their students. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is a student centered, pedagogical approach supporting students as resources of knowledge and skills for teachers and for each other inside their classroom. Social justice pedagogy (SJP) helps students to be part of the solution to injustice. An underlying assumption is that analyzing and critiquing oppression can be incorporated into the mathematics classroom to help students build agency. Teachers who utilize these pedagogies can see students connect to the curriculum and become more willing to participate in their own education. This study explored teachers’ perspectives on incorporating new pedagogies to learn to teach mathematics for social justice (TMfSJ). The focus of this study was to build on teachers’ ideas of what they believe they are successfully practicing in their classroom and create a plan to move forward with assisting the teachers in the process of integrating social justice into mathematics. The findings of this study suggests that teachers can integrate social justice into the mathematics curriculum if they have the benefit of professional development. Most teachers were unable to conceptualize social justice, specifically in the context of mathematics. Although most teachers described evidence of cultural awareness, very few gave examples of teaching practices that included topics of injustice or other issues of diversity, inclusion, or equity. A few of the participants in this study mentioned that social justice was something they would like to see in their classes. They would like students to become aware of social justice concepts in all subject areas not just History and English. Some of the participants believed that if it was fully integrated into the curriculum, it would be possible to be taught in mathematics. Through the interviews with teachers, it was discovered that most participants were willing to learn more about SJP and would attempt to implement this approach if they had more information. One teacher was able to clearly and confidently articulate how he used social justice ideas in his teaching, and how he taught with equity in mind.