Some mathematics teachers have proposed and adopted a social justice approach to mathematics as a strategy to address difficulties that face urban adolescents from historically underprivileged neighborhoods while engaging them in the study of meaningful mathematics. The author of this article conducted research with the stated objective of demonstrating how math teachers may learn to teach mathematics for social justice and how this can be done within the context of the high school math curriculum. Building on the experiences of students from marginalized communities while addressing social justice concerns through mathematics is a part of teaching mathematics for social justice. Raising awareness is vital because the inequities that exist in society will continue to exist without a component that addresses change. Gonzalez proposes the important idea that in a socially just society, we are unable to predict life achievement based on factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, views, citizenship status, and proficiency in the dominant language. Teachers and students must become increasingly conscious of their social realities as well as one another's histories, cultures, and understandings in order to teach for social justice. She believes we must begin by causing change in teachers' identities in order to affect changes in their practice, equipping them to teach mathematics for social justice.

The article focuses on teachers' perspectives and beliefs regarding their position as educators, as well as the nature of math teaching and learning. The author sent the teachers in her study a description of the research project as well as details on how they might participate in the study. Attending group sessions, engaging in several interviews, and writing reflections after each group session were all required. Exploration and discovery activities are used in this non-tradition mathematics program to highlight math ideas that students come across as they work through the activities. Seven female math teachers who worked at this urban high school during the 2006-2007 year were the participants in the study and they were mostly from the same racial backgrounds as their students. Gonzalez and the participants were involved in activities and lessons from the mathematics for social justice literature, allowing them to learn about some of the resources available and analyze their perceived strengths and limits. Everyone had something to contribute while also having something to learn. Her data analysis revealed that teachers were intensely aware of the inequities that their students experience; they were aware of students' home situations, inadequate academic preparedness, and the lack of opportunity available to them and their families. The outcomes of the research presented in this resource show that educators who are exposed to methods for including social justice problems into mathematics value their work and reassess how they teach their students, as well as how they define what it means to be a math teacher. 

In this self-study, the author critically reflected on her experience guest teaching a seventh-grade unit in an urban school district that included social justice and mathematics. As the career of teacher education develops, many teachers will come across theories and teaching approaches that are new to them and from their past experience as an educator. Because Harrison's study coincided with the time that the actual teacher was on leave, she was the only teacher in the class for the duration of the study.  Using mathematical reasoning to assist students to become aware of social injustices that occur in society at large and in their individual lives while simultaneously teaching their mathematical comprehension is what teaching math for social justice entails. Teachers must acknowledge and value students' diverse cultural backgrounds while also educating them to navigate and succeed in dominant culture in order to help them establish positive cultural identities. Fundamentally, regardless of the subject matter, the core concepts of social justice pedagogical goals apply. This research took place in a Brooklyn middle school and the unit included a variety of math problems that included numerous social justice concerns.
Overall, the author was able to see early favorable changes in the students that correspond to several of the goals of teaching mathematics for social justice. Students were frequently able to distinguish between what was fair and what was not, but they were unable to express the social and political grounds of the inequity. Her understanding of social justice was always linked to what she was going to teach and what knowledge she wanted her students to obtain from solving a particular mathematical problem or answering a question. The degree of vulnerability she felt as an educator was one of the most significant contrasts between mediating a math lesson and facilitating a math for social justice lesson, according to this research. Because of her limited grasp of social justice, she realized how critical it is to provide opportunities for her preservice teachers to fully conceptualize social justice. When Harrison had time to reflect on and talk with colleagues about the issues that the middle schoolers would bring up, she discovered that their ability to connect the comments and concerns to more general issues like equity, racism, and disparity led her to connect their lives and misunderstandings to social justice issues. Based on her previous experience teaching at the school, she guided the unit by broader social justice topics and pre-determined math problems that she thought the children would find engaging and meaningful. Preservice teachers, and also current teachers, becoming aware of social justice problems and how education is utilized to generate, recreate, and frequently reflect social evils within society is a constructive improvement. 

The goal of this paper was to describe how the author's seventh grade Pre-Algebra class was modified to incorporate not just social justice themes connected to inequality, but also to be aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Social justice education, in her opinion, is critical in all schools and communities. Ligocki's participation with the students, as well as her personal enthusiasm for social justice and equity, drove her to the idea of developing a project that would allow students to explore the many unquestioned assumptions that exist in our society. She wanted her students to learn about differences in race, class, ability, and economic status, as well as a platform to discuss these differences. The author also intended to push her pupils out of their comfort zones by providing opportunities for discussion on topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom. By debating various subjects, her students would work to address issues such as poverty, income equality, taxation, and education. A social justice education would begin with economic reform, federal policies that level the playing field and recognize societal disparities, and engaging people, particularly young people, in social movements. 

The school the author taught at was located in a city where the vast majority of their students qualify for free or reduced lunch, so they had a personal awareness of and connection what it means to live in a low-income area or to see individuals around them struggle with their situations. Students in her class identified poverty as those who are homeless or who barely have enough to get by, and a student raised the issue of race inequalities. Students stated what their mathematics problems had revealed to them, then expanded on that by discussing social issues such as the need for more homeless shelters for those living in poverty. They benefited from the opportunity to interact openly and honestly with one another, as well as learning to respect feelings and perspectives that differed from their own. Even if they did not come up with the most logical answers, they were at least discussing the problems and increasing their awareness on them. Students were shocked when introduced to the topic of income equality, by how the levels of income were based on education and how there were significant differences based on gender. By the end of the project, the children had developed not only their mathematical skills, but also an interest in and understanding of local equity issues and societal inequities. While the author's project had a difficult time getting started and was time-consuming to put together, she believes it was crucial in transforming her classroom into a safe space where ideas about social justice could be freely shared and addressed. 

Learning math within a social justice framework is vital for students' comprehension of both math principles and their chances to be the change, regardless of their experiences and circumstances. Many individuals often make the mistake of assuming that just because teachers are discussing significant topics, meaningful teaching and learning is taking place in our classrooms. For anyone, especially young people, talking about inequality, racism, sexism, poverty, and other issues can be overwhelming. The author of this article provided the readers with helpful tips to introduce social justice in the classroom. For example, one of his suggestions was to have students ask you questions. To do this, a teacher can create a lesson based on concerns and issues that students are eager to learn more about. They should scaffold pupils' knowledge of both mathematics ideas and the issues they are studying. 

Many young people think about these concerns in terms of fair or unfair, so it is important help them recognize what is unfair about the subject you are going to investigate and help them realize how these issues affect them. Osler emphasizes that teachers should not feel obligated to relate every lesson to a social justice theme, but doing it often is extremely beneficial. Also, he informed future teachers to assist their kids in understanding that they are not to blame for these systemic issues. This article also includes several examples of math problems he wrote that circulate around social justice issues. Before one walks into a door of a classroom, it is already a politicized environment because political parties in our country dictate what should and should not happen in our classrooms. Including social justice issues in mathematics classes helps students recognize math's power as a crucial analytical tool for understanding and potentially changing the world. 

This article analyzes the study of twenty-six poster presentations of math or science lessons involving social justice concerns at an average-sized institution in central New York. According to changing demographics in America, new teachers are increasingly likely to teach children from backgrounds that are significantly different than their own. In elementary and secondary schools, social justice pedagogy, which emphasizes recognizing oppression and taking steps to address it, is less valued, and many classroom teachers are unfamiliar with or unaware of how to approach it. Mathematics is understood to be a set of routinized, algorithmic practices that lead to one correct answer, and is not assumed to be closely related to real-world problems. While there are many different definitions of social justice, they all begin with the notion of recognizing and valuing diversity, recognizing oppression caused by differences, and taking steps to weaken the injustice. It is found that incorporating social justice into science and math teaching is more difficult than other subjects. 

Because social justice pedagogy contextualizes mathematics into the lives and communities of students, it raises questions about values, ethics, and the implications of making decisions that use the tool of math in the classroom. Although, there is evidence that connecting this information to students' sense of social justice while also helping them develop critical thinking and mathematical rigor empowers them in all aspects of lives, even beyond the classroom. The authors performed a qualitative analysis of the math and science lessons provided by elementary and secondary student teachers at a "Social Justice Conference" in this study. All student teachers delivered their posters and other documents summarizing and reflecting on the planning and the teaching of the lesson itself at the conclusion of the conference. Students were expected to connect data analysis with social justice thinking in eight lectures. Garii and Rule believe that preservice and student teachers perceive math and science pedagogy as separate from social justice pedagogy due to a lack of familiarity with the current suggested breadth of mathematics and science curriculum and experience with connecting it to the real world. Effective integration of academic content with socially just teaching necessitates lessons that focus on the academic topic while also fully integrating the social justice concepts provided. Future teachers require greater opportunities to include social justice into classroom practice and practicum placements, along with feedback from college instructors, cooperating teachers, and supervisors. Their findings indicate that student teachers in their study were beginning to grasp the important of integrating math and social justice in the classroom. 

References

Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice 

Teaching Social Justice Through Mathematics 

Inequalities in Math

A Guide for Integrating Issues of Social and Economic Justice into Mathematics Curriculum 

Integrating Social Justice with Mathematics and Science