Cultural Relevancy
and Math
Achievement
It’s understood that mathematics is the gateway to higher education, and that
statistically, African American boys fall far below their classmates in math
proficiency (Muhammad, 2003, Noguera, 2003, Snipes & Waters, 2005),
thus having fewer opportunities to participate in classes that prepare them for
college. An interesting question that arises is Could it be that students’
lower achievement is a direct result of the way they are taught
and tested? Are there untried methods of instruction that might
bolster students’ ability to access the content and demonstrate
their mathematical understanding?
Snipes and Waters (2005) suggest that
one cause of the poor math performance
of African American students is that
there is a disconnect between classroom
instruction and the students’ home
environments and their culture; the
curriculum does not reflect the life
experiences of these students. Perhaps
their instruction in mathematics is not
culturally relevant.
It’s a Social Justice Issue
If mathematics
is a
gatekeeper,
what happens
to students
when the gate
is locked?
ROAD TO
RESEARCH
Pilot Study Raises ?s
When I posed a question about poetry as a vehicle for increasing math achievement to
teachers I met through my work as a language arts mentor, they expressed an interest in
studying this together. We undertook a pilot study during the 2010-2011 school year,
reading articles, and engaging in conversations around race, assessment, and achievement.
We did some preliminary classroom observations, interviewed students, and experimented
with a variety of instructional practices (including poetry, rhyme, and rap).
Schmoker (2011) stresses the critical connection between numbers and words, and the
necessity of incorporating language literacy into mathematics instruction. Creating
literate/mathematical thinkers is central to the teaching of math; studying the impact of
new methods of instruction may serve as a powerful new vehicle for reaching previously
challenged or under-achieving math students.
The pilot study grew into a research project resulting in my doctoral dissertation.
Research Question
How does teacher inquiry focused
on mathematics instruction and
culturally relevant pedagogy impact
the attitudes and instructional
practices of elementary teachers at
a title 1 school?
Research Question
What changes, if any, do teachers
report in their teaching of math
throughout the inquiry process?
Research
Question
What connections do teachers
in an inquiry group report
between their study and their
elementary students’ ability to
demonstrate mathematical
understanding?
A CASE STUDY
What Can Teachers Learn?
Data Collection
transcripts of facilitated group conversations,
coded and analyzed
one-on-one self-assessment dialogues, coded
and analyzed
WE MUST RETHINK
TRADITIONAL MATH
INSTRUCTION
“You do not study
mathematics because it
helps you build a bridge.
You study mathematics
because it is the poetry of
the universe. Its beauty
transcends mere things.”
Finding Poetic
Justice
A"New"
Equation:
""""Words"
+ Poetry"
+ "Pattern"
+ Mathematics
+ Cultural"
Relevancy"
="Changed""""
Attitudes"and"
Practices"for" Linking Poetry and Mathematics:
Teachers
Poetry and math share the attributes
of rhythm, rhyme, and pattern.
!
How Teacher Inquiry Impacts Elementary Math Instruction
Issue 1: M any students have strong computational skills
and math fact retrieval, but show limited understanding
of the math beyond the algorithm
Issue 2: M ath instruction is compartmentalized, taught
with little or no connection to life or to other subjects
~Jonathan David Farley
Issue 3: M any students and teachers lack enthusiasm
for math as traditionally taught
Kathleen M .M oore, Ed.D.
Educational Leadership for Social Justice
2012
Coordinator, Professional Development, San
Ramon Valley Unified School District; Teaching
Consultant, Bay Area Writing Project, Instructor,
St. M ary’ s College of California
It’s more than
number sense
It’s complicated...
This is about questioning what others believe to be true.
What we learned before allows us to move on to what we can see next.
We must always keep thinking and asking new questions.
Open the gate to the future by closing
the achievement/opportunity gap
http://www20.csueastbay.edu/ceas/departments/el/edd/dissertations.h
tml
Kathleen M. Moore, Ed.D.
Curriculum Coordinator
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
kmoore@srvusd.net
925-552-2939
Words Matter