Marta Civil – författare

Every year, significant numbers of immigrant children from Mexico enter classrooms in the United States. These immigrants comprise a heterogeneous group of students with diverse needs, abilities, and experiences. Transnational and Borderland Studies in Mathematics Education is the first collection to offer research studies across these communities. Providing invaluable research on both sending and receiving communities in Mexico and the US, this collection considers the multiple aspects of children’s experiences with mathematics, including curriculum, classroom participation structures, mathematical reasoning and discourse – both in and out of school – and parents’ perceptions and beliefs about mathematics instruction. An important treatment of an insufficiently documented subject, this collection brings together researchers on both sides of the border to foster and support an interest in documenting evidence that will set the stage for future studies in mathematics education.

Every year, significant numbers of immigrant children from Mexico enter classrooms in the United States. These immigrants comprise a heterogeneous group of students with diverse needs, abilities, and experiences. Transnational and Borderland Studies in Mathematics Education is the first collection to offer research studies across these communities. Providing invaluable research on both sending and receiving communities in Mexico and the US, this collection considers the multiple aspects of children’s experiences with mathematics, including curriculum, classroom participation structures, mathematical reasoning and discourse – both in and out of school – and parents’ perceptions and beliefs about mathematics instruction. An important treatment of an insufficiently documented subject, this collection brings together researchers on both sides of the border to foster and support an interest in documenting evidence that will set the stage for future studies in mathematics education.

This book that explores the mathematics education of Latinos/as in 13 original research studies. Each chapter represents research that grounds mathematics instruction for Latinos/as in the resources to be found in culture and language. By inverting the deficit perspective, this volume redresses the shortcomings found in the previous literature on Latino/a learners. Each study frames language (e.g. bilingualism) not as an obstacle to learning, but as a resource for mathematical reasoning. Other chapters explore the notion of cultural variation not as a liability but as a tool for educators to build upon in the teaching of mathematics. Specifically, the book reframes culture as a focus on the practices, objects, inscriptions, or people that connect mathematical concepts to student thinking and experiences, both in and out of school.

The book''s four sections divide the research: The first section of the book focuses on mathematic learning in classrooms, specifically exploring bilingual, Latino/a students; the second section explores Latino/a learners in communities, including the role parents can play in advancing learning; the third section includes chapters focused on teacher professional growth; the final section concerns the assessment (and mis-assessment) of Latino/a learners. The research shared in this volume provides ample evidence that mathematics educators who choose to ignore language or culture in their pedagogy risk shortchanging their Latino/a students.

The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) in its 2015 position paper on Equity in Mathematics Teacher Education provides a list of actions for mathematics teacher educators (MTE’s) to help them develop and implement equitable practices. The position paper states it is critical that mathematics teacher educators: “Model equity-based pedagogy that emphasizes rich and rigorous mathematics; elicit and build on children’s and young adults’ mathematical thinking; connect to P-12 students’ cultural/linguistic knowledge and backgrounds as well as individual interests; facilitate mathematical discourse; minimize status issues by expanding broader participation and engagement where varied mathematical strengths are valued; and promote positive mathematical identity and agency (p. 2)”.

Cases for Mathematics Teacher Educators: Facilitating Conversations about Inequities in Mathematics Classrooms provides an excellent resource to start conversations describing the enactment of these actions. The book is organized into three main sections: (1) Conversations About Inequities in Mathematics Methods Courses, (2) Conversations About Inequities in Mathematics Content Courses, and (3) Conversations about Inequities in Graduate and Professional Development Contexts. Across these sections there are 19 cases and 57 corresponding commentaries focused on dilemmas that arise when mathematics teacher educators foreground equity in their work. This book of cases provides a needed resource for MTEs to engage prospective teachers, practicing teachers, and future teacher educators in discussions about inequities, privilege, and oppression in society, in schools, and in the mathematics classroom. It is the product of the thinking and experiences of 87 authors who are committed to the improvement of mathematics teacher education.