1. Lisa Ashe, NCDPI Denise Schulz, NCDPI
Mathematics for All: Moving Towards Cultural Proficiency NCCTM Conference 2017
Lisa Ashe, NCDPI
Denise Schulz, NCDPI

3. Previous Learning Student and Teacher Identity Mathematical Identity
Principles for Equitable Mathematics Teaching
Learning is not the same as achievement.
Achievement gaps often reflect gaps in opportunities to learn.
All students can be pushed to learn mathematics more deeply.
Students need to see themselves in mathematics.

4. What is Identity?
The ways that people come to conceptualize themselves and others and how they act as a result of those understandings.
Cornell and Hartmann (1998)

5. Mathematics Identity
The dispositions and deeply held beliefs that students develop about their ability to participate and perform effectively in mathematical contexts and to use mathematics in powerful ways across the contexts of their lives
Aguirre, Mayfield-Ingram &Martin (2013)

6. Mathematics Identity
beliefs about one’s self as a mathematics learner,
one’s perceptions of how others perceive them as a mathematics learner,
beliefs about the nature of mathematics,
engagement in mathematics, and
perception of self as a potential participant in mathematics.
Solomon, 2009

8. Session Objectives
Why?
Who am I?
What now?

9. Why is mathematics important for ALL students to learn?
Stop & Think
Why is mathematics important for ALL students to learn?
Numeracy skills are used daily in many jobs and are important for a wide range of outcomes in adult life, from successful employment to good health and civic participation.
All students need mathematics for their adult life. Reducing socio-economic inequalities in access to mathematics content is thus an important policy lever for increasing social mobility.
OECD (2016)

10. Why Do I Need This?
Mathematics education enhances higher-order thinking skills
Those who are good at math tend to be good thinkers.
Those who are trained in math learn to be good thinkers.
Math studied at school is the main entry point to quantitative literacy, and without solid quantitative skills a person cannot do many jobs.
OECD (2016)

11. how to teach it, and, in many cases, who should receive the content.
What teachers believe is important influences the decisions that they make about
what content to teach,
how to teach it, and, in many cases,
who should receive the content.
Aguirre, Mayfield-Ingram & Martin (2013)

12. Culture Defined Culture is:
everything you believe and everything you do that enables you to identify with people who are like you and that distinguishes you from people who differ from you.
about “groupness.”
a group of people identified by their shared history, values, and patterns of behavior

13. Culture Defined Culture is:
everything you believe and everything you do that enables you to identify with people who are like you and that distinguishes you from people who differ from you.
about “groupness.”
a group of people identified by their shared history, values, and patterns of behavior

14. Stop & Think
How does this definition of culture affect the lens through which you observe and understand mathematics classrooms within your school or district?

15. Culture shapes our beliefs and forms our biases about people based on their age, gender, race, language, (dis)ability, class or income level, often without our realization.
NAPE

16. Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage
NAPE Culture Wheel
Cultural Stereotypes
Bias
Micromessages
Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage
Self-Efficacy
Behavior
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

17. Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage
NAPE Culture Wheel
Cultural Stereotypes
Bias
Micromessages
Accumulation of (Dis)Advantage
Self-Efficacy
Behavior
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

18. What are micromessages?
We communicate our biases through small, subtle, unconscious, but often powerful messages.
Facial expressions, gestures, words, or tone of voice can convey perceived differences related to characteristics like gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status.
Accumulation of micromessages affects a person’s self-concept and self-efficacy.
Identity-affirming behaviors influence the ways in which students participate in mathematics and how they see themselves as doers of mathematics.
We see identity-affirming criteria emerging as learners are labeled as “smart,” “gifted,” “proficient,” “at-risk,” or “on grade-level”.

20. What Messages Do You Send?
Micro-affirmations
Valued
Included
Encouraged
Intentional
Positive
Micro-Inequities
Devalued
Excluded
Discouraged
Unintentional
Negative

21. Stop & Think
Why is it important to think about mathematics in the context of culture?

22. Our Story… Denise Lisa Elementary Secondary Grew up in a Two parent
home
Band
Raised in a
Single parent
home
Math
consultant
International
Traveler
Family in
military
Loves
DOGS
Teacher
Parent
First generation college student
Introvert
Family attended college
Has
CATS
Family support
Biracial
September
Birthday
African-American
Coaches weightlifting
Loves
Sports

23. What’s your story?

24. Who Am I?
Bead Activity

25. Bead Color Key Blue: European American/Caucasian
Green: African/Black American
Purple: Asian/Pacific Islander
Pink: Latino/Hispanic
Orange: Biracial
Silver: Native American/American Indian
I am…
My teachers are mostly…
My chiildren’s teachers are mostly…
My closest friend is…
My dentist is….
My spouse/partner is…
My colleagues at work are mostly…
My doctor is…
My neighbors are mostly…
People who visit my home are mostly…
My favorite actor is…
My favorite musicians are…
Artwork represented in my home is…
I see on TV mostly…
Authors that I read are mostly…
People whom I see or read about in my newspaper are mostly…
My students are…

26. Barriers vs. Guiding Principles
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
How does the interaction of each cause ethical tension?

27. Cultural Proficiency Continuum

29. Conceptual Framework for Culturally Proficient Practices
Resolving Ethical Tension
Cultural Proficiency Continuum
Five Essential Elements of Cultural Competency
Conceptual Framework for Culturally Proficient Practices

30. 5 Essential Elements of Cultural Competence
Assessing cultural knowledge
Valuing diversity
Managing the dynamics of difference
Adapting to diversity
Institutionalizing cultural knowledge
Assessing cultural knowledge
Valuing diversity
Managing the dynamics of difference
Adapting to diversity
Institutionalizing cultural knowledge

31. How Does This Connect to Classroom Instruction?

32. Five Equity-Based Practices in Mathematics Classrooms
Going deep with mathematics
Leveraging multiple mathematical competencies
Affirming mathematics learners’ identities
Challenging spaces of marginality
Drawing on multiple resources of knowledge (math, culture, language, family, community)

33. How Does This Relate?

34. What Now?
3 new ideas
2 wonders
1 action step

35. Follow Us! NC Mathematics www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaMathematics

36. DPI Mathematics Section
Beverly Vance
K-12 Mathematics & Science
Section Chief
Denise Schulz
Elementary Mathematics Consultant
Lisa Ashe
Secondary Mathematics Consultant
Joseph Reaper 36