Equity in Mathematics Education Through Cooperative &  Problem-Based Learning

Dr. Tonya Clark is the coordinator of Mathematics for Clayton County public schools, a large district near Atlanta. She is also the founder of the I’m W.O.K.E. Project (Widening Options through Knowledge and Empowerment) which supports teachers and students to explore culturally relevant and culturally sustaining mathematics instruction. Through problem and inquiry-based learning, students work together to examine real world problems. It is often the case that instruction begins with the math that is to be taught, then presents a problem to solve. Uniquely, her strategy is to start with a current political, educational, or social issue and then draw out the various math models that can be used to support the students’ findings and viewpoints. To critically think through these issues, students must first uncover the facts, and often as they dive deeper, they are led to more questions and more discoveries that span far more than just mathematics. It sparks empowerment and passion in the students as they recognize that they are exploring a problem that is worth solving, something that matters to them.

In my future classroom, I will strive to implement projects like the I’m W.O.K.E. project to inspire students to pursue the topics that they find important and significant. It’s critical that I acknowledge that there is a difference between real world problems that are relevant, not just familiar. By examining real world problems with cultural relevance, students will be exposed to a variety of problem-solving strategies and may find a calling to pursue some of these issues more deeply in the future. The cooperative nature of projects like these will also give students the opportunity to explore their own thinking and open critical discussions with their peers and others. And by approaching mathematics instruction in this way, my students will have the autonomy to determine their own mathematical methods and representations to best achieve their goals, fostering comprehensive connections. Students asking the question, “When will I ever use this in real life?” will have tangible answer and furthermore will see that mathematics does not happen in isolation. It is woven in to every part of our world and can be an invaluable tool when you know how to use it.

This article discusses some of the actionable and intangible strategies to foster an equitable classroom environment. First and possibly most importantly, teachers must be self-reflective to develop an advocacy disposition and be willing to stand up for what they believe, take risks, and even bend the rules when appropriate. Math educators should be constantly striving for: openness to various cultures and the differences in mathematical teaching and learning; self-awareness of how ones personal experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds can affect teaching; and commitment to incorporate students’ cultures to engage them in the classroom. This will create a classroom environment the develops into and mathematics community. Here is where collaborative activities can grow the students’ mathematical abilities. This can be done by assigning group roles and different tasks based on abilities. Equitable dispersion of responsibilities encourages students to recognize their own value and the value of others and nurtures an appreciation of diversity.

I will strive endlessly to achieve the goals set in this article. The importance of self-awareness in every capacity cannot be overstated. Are my implicit biases affecting my teaching? How can I engage all of my students in a way that is effective and meaningful? Am I doing all that I can to keep my instruction culturally and socially relevant? If it’s necessary, am I brave enough to stand up for what I know is right, even if it means going against the rules? Am I always putting the success of my students first? Am I getting complacent, apathetic, or worse, pessimistic? These are just some of the questions I will ask myself throughout my career as a teacher to keep my focus.

As for actionable, pedagogical strategies, I plan to structure my classroom into heterogeneous groups that will grow together as doers of math. My hope is to create a safe space where my students can rely on each other’s strengths and feel comfortable asking questions and even getting things wrong from time to time. Assigning roles and tasks strategically will give students the opportunity to expand their abilities and collaborate effectively and meet them at their ability level.

Similar to Dr. Tonya Clark’s work with the I’m W.O.K.E Project, Hendrickson’s approach to math instruction is problem and inquiry-based and begins with a relevant community issue that students will recognize and relate to. In her article she describes processes and outcomes of a lesson based on the local hot-button topic of hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking.” In her first attempt, she found that the rigid, thorough instructions she had given reverted the lesson to a disconnected, procedural exercise rather than the rigorous exploration of mathematical modeling she hoped to spark. Redesigning the lesson, she led the students to brainstorm questions about the issue of fracking that could be answered mathematically. From here the students would pick from this master list of questions and begin their investigation. The autonomy to choose their own approach, and even decide which aspect of the issue was most intriguing to them gave students the ability to work at their own level while still presenting an appropriate challenge. Building this lesson helped the students understand more about their own communities and become more aware of their environment. They were able to make sense of the complex scenario with math and discovered that math can be a valuable tool for understanding social issues.  

It is difficult to visualize a math classroom in which it seems like the math part of a lesson doesn’t come first. Typically, students are introduced to the procedure or formula they are meant to learn, then word problems and activities are built around the math. In my future classroom, my goal will be to guide students to discover the relevant math through problem and inquiry-based learning exercises. I think that it will be a challenge to get students accustomed to this ‘reverse’ method of learning, but my hope is that the process will feel organic, and the student-driven exploration will take on a life of its own. And role as teacher will be support and structure these lessons in a way that will produce students that are proficient doers of mathematics.