July 23, 2012 Equity and mathematics examination Penina Kamina

Equity, the NCTM’s position High expectations Respect Understanding Support for all learners What does each of the above mean? What does each look like in African classroom/context?

Small group input: “Equity” Equity is the right of an individual to get quality mathematics education at any level; Being gender sensitive; No discrimination; Equity in a classroom enables all students to be engaged whether they are slow or quick/fast; as a teacher appreciate any improvement made however small; set expectations within the learner’s ability; encourage participation from all learners (happy learners happy teachers)

Small group input: “Equity” Fairness in provision of opportunities and experiences This is reflected in one’s behavior; Behavior should be inclusive of groups represented i.e. gender, religion, culture etc.; Allow for all to participate; Recognize efforts put by students; Applaud achievement by ability, not necessarily “As”; Give tasks commensurate with ability; (Who gets to talk in the class? All?)

Small group input: “High Expectations” High expectation –believing all students can learn and achieve in mathematics; meaning fairness to all learners. Being committed; Looking at the worth of the student and the student’s ability to apply concepts as opposed to grades.

Small groups input: “Respect” Respect – examining mathematics with regard to ones personality; providing opportunity for learners to express themselves and their opinions; there maybe no need to check for background information on individuals; being patient with either the slow or fast learners; As an educator, do not neglect or suppress learners Respect – valuing answers/responses; to enable learners feel valued i.e. specific language usage or culture in exams may not create a sense of respect for others e.g. PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) is based on European context

Small groups input: “Respect” Respect – value/appreciate learners’ ideas; take time to consider individual views; recognize learners’ individual differences; understand learners’ different backgrounds Respect – (1) valuing ones’ personality; sense of esteem; Set exams at learner’s age/level; Appreciate the answers even if wrong; Provide both local familiar examples & positive feedback; Be patience with learners (both high and low achievers), Uphold learner’s previous educational background (2) Be friendly – openness; have good rapport between teacher-learners and learner-learner; be humorous; give learners opportunity to share their opinions on issues; Regard other views; maintain positive attitude in the class; appropriate reward system that caters for individual differences; give room for mistakes; punishment should not be used to embarrass the learner.

Small groups input: “Respect” Respect in the classroom may require one to rephrase questions when need be; Commend learners efforts; Reward appropriately; Give room for learners to make mistakes as part of the growth process; Create an environment that is safe for learners to interact with each other

Small groups input: ”Understanding” Understanding – allow candidates to express concepts in their own words; Give relevant examples. (1) Not all candidates who fail to pass math exams have no sense of mathematical concepts since it could be a language problem. (2) In showing understanding, should teachers insist that the steps to a math solution follow what the teacher has taught without allowing much freedom of expression? [ drilling is common practice] (3) Consider methods versus answers Understanding – not taking the rote method of learning (procedural learning) but connecting with the concept (conceptual learning)

Conclusion Focus should go beyond cognitive; exceling in exams or standard procedures; standard algorithms etc. Focus should be equitable such as dealing with the affective attributes; i.e. persistence; flexibility (different strategies/voices/strengths/capabilities etc.) to reach & be supportive of all learners.