Problematizing my Imagineit
In the weeks before school started, I read 'The DreamKeepers' by Gloria Ladson-Billings. In this book, she provides exemplars of exemplary teaching for African-American students.
I don't have only African-American students in my KAM proof-based math class, but there is a broad message and question that I can relate to: How do I make this formal proof-based math culturally relevant to my students?
Math is such an old subject, and with its emphasis on abstract logical thought, it is also not easy. In that sense, I believe college-level math is one of the biggest gate-keeping subjects. "If only I was better at math, I could...." is a common refrain. Moreover, the traditional well-publicized math greats are almost all white men, so it can be hard to take inspiration from those who have such different backgrounds than my students.
However, I think within that lies a partial solution to my dilemma. Instead of focusing on making outward connections with those in that past, I begin to think about how I can make this old math seem new and fresh to my students. Creating proofs requires you to clearly state your assumptions, diagram a logical flow of steps and articulate your concluding steps. It is a craft, and I journey I take with my students together. If we can create a culture in the room with high expectations and space for all the students to speak their thoughts, listen to their peers, and work together to solve proofs, then I think we'll make mathematicians out of all of us. In summary, I hope that if we can focus on the process together as a community, then we will achieve our end-goal of a culturally-relevant math experience.
I don't have only African-American students in my KAM proof-based math class, but there is a broad message and question that I can relate to: How do I make this formal proof-based math culturally relevant to my students?
Math is such an old subject, and with its emphasis on abstract logical thought, it is also not easy. In that sense, I believe college-level math is one of the biggest gate-keeping subjects. "If only I was better at math, I could...." is a common refrain. Moreover, the traditional well-publicized math greats are almost all white men, so it can be hard to take inspiration from those who have such different backgrounds than my students.
However, I think within that lies a partial solution to my dilemma. Instead of focusing on making outward connections with those in that past, I begin to think about how I can make this old math seem new and fresh to my students. Creating proofs requires you to clearly state your assumptions, diagram a logical flow of steps and articulate your concluding steps. It is a craft, and I journey I take with my students together. If we can create a culture in the room with high expectations and space for all the students to speak their thoughts, listen to their peers, and work together to solve proofs, then I think we'll make mathematicians out of all of us. In summary, I hope that if we can focus on the process together as a community, then we will achieve our end-goal of a culturally-relevant math experience.