Blog Post

Math... The reason I will graudate

Changing Math Speak - Veronica Seward

Kendra: "I'm just not a math person."

Jovanni: "No matter how hard I try, I'll never be good at math. No one in my family is"

Zahara: "This is my last class. Math is the reason why I won't graudate"

As a manager of the Mathematics Learning Center at Prince George’s Community (PGCC) for over 11 years, these are the voices I hear from our students who come to the center, most of them struggling, not just with the concepts but with themselves. Nearly all students in a program towards an Associate’s degree at PGCC must take at least one math course for completion. For some it’s just another course, for others it’s an unrelenting barrier that questions self-efficacy.

So what do we do?

Let’s start with the voices.

Acknowledge the Influence of Stereotypes

According to the National Science Foundation 2019 data, underrepresented minority groups (African American, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native) comprise around 10% of the STEM workforce. In today’s society, education serves as a powerful catalyst for upward mobility and growth. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that these underrepresented groups earn a smaller proportion of bachelor's degrees in STEM fields compared to their representation in the overall population.

At Prince George’s Community College over 90% of the student body is of color. Our students see themselves as the statistic.

Rather than ignoring the elephant in the room, acknowledging stereotypes surrounding these underrepresented groups and their mathematical abilities can significantly impact their mindset. Negative stereotypes, perpetuated by societal biases, can create self-doubt, a fear of failure, and a sense of exclusion in mathematics.

It is vital to challenge these stereotypes and foster an inclusive environment that promotes equity and opportunities for all students.

2. Cultivate a growth Mindset

“Let’s change our math speak, to adjust our math attitude, to affect our math outcome.”

A growth mindset emphasizes the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through dedication, effort, and effective strategies. Encouraging students to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and view mistakes as learning opportunities can help shift their mindset from fixed to growth-oriented.

We start with our words.

The language we use influences our perspective and can either open doors of possibility or create self-imposed limitations. Changing our negative math speak to a positive one is the start to adjust our attitude about math, in turn, providing the opportunity to positively affect our outcome.

Math is the reason I will graduate.

3. Provide Representation in the field

Representation matters!

Representation challenges stereotypes and debunks the notion that only certain genders, ethnicities, or backgrounds are suited for STEM pursuits. Through our DSEC partnerships, we have created a student STEM Learning Community (SLC) at Prince George’s Community College. In our SLC we provide opportunities for our students to visit and engage with STEM professionals who look like them at events such as the BEYA (Black Engineer of the Year Award) Conference and by visiting NASA. By displaying diverse individuals succeeding in STEM fields we begin to break down barriers and encourage students to defy societal expectations.

4. Contexualize Mathematics within our Sphere of Influence

Mathematics can feel disconnected from the lived experiences of our students. By incorporating culturally relevant examples and contexts, educators can make mathematics more relatable and engaging. In the Math Learning Center we contextualize mathematics within our sphere of influence by personalizing the tutoring experience. We offer personal and cultural relevance as underrepresented patrons of the STEM field to show how math incorporates in our world and use real life examples to demonstrate how math is applied in practical contexts. Through funding from our DSEC grant we utilize Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPad Pro tablets to demonstrate how math is used contextually through online simulations, interactive apps, and graphing calculator technology integration.

“Let’s change our math speak... to adjust our math attitude...

to affect our math outcome."

5. Create Collaborative Learning Opportunities to Build Community

Through our student STEM Learning Community (SLC) we provide opportunities for students to engage and learn from professionals, educators, and their peers. Creating opportunities for networking and community building among our students has helped to foster a sense of belonging and connectedness within STEM. To support our students in mathematics we hosted math kickoff events at the start of the semester, study halls throughout, and study break events and review sessions towards the end. Students who attended these sessions felt connected to a community invested in their success.

Mathematical mindsets hold the power to shape possibilities, where belief in growth and resilience transforms challenges into stepping-stones toward infinite potential. By challenging stereotypes, cultivating a growth mindset, providing representation, contextualizing mathematics, and fostering collaborative learning opportunities to build community, we can empower our students to excel in their mathematical and educational pursuits.

What do we do?

We start with the voices.

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