Rethinking Teaching and Learning Mathematics for Social Justice from a Critical Race Perspective

Abstract

What is teaching and learning mathematics for social justice (TLMSJ)? How has TLMSJ been taken up in mathematics education—both historically and contemporarily? Along with unpacking these two central questions, another purpose of this article is to assess the current capacity and stance of TLMSJ toward addressing issues of racial injustice. We begin with an overview of TLMSJ as an epistemic perspective and introduce an analytical lens based on selected tenets of critical race theory. We then use this analytical lens to examine extant TLMSJ scholarship toward broadening the possibilities of justice-oriented scholarship in mathematics education.

Exploring Racialized Factors to Understand Why Black Mathematics Teachers Consider Leaving the Profession

“…It is not hard to imagine, then, that mathematics classrooms become spaces where former Black students return as mathematics teachers who are allured by the promise of reform or new beginnings. However, on arrival, they run headlong into selfcorrecting (Martin, 2019), and as those who employ critical race theory (CRT) note, the normal presence of racism in American mathematics education (Larnell et al, 2017). In fact, a better definition that organizations might use for mathematics teaching positions that have been described as "hard-to-staff " might be "unwilling to make the necessary changes to keep" or "do not see the value of keeping.…”

Towards a socially just ‘personal theory of pedagogical practice’ (PTPP) in mathematics through a critical pedagogical lens

“…As a social practice, education -mathematics education in particular -should essentially involve tackling social justice issues, strengthening the notion of "mathematics for all" (Larnell, Bullock & Jett, 2017:19). A noticeable trend in higher education has been that social justice issues are tackled at a very instrumental and trivialised level, such as changing curricula or instructional environments' physical structures (Larnell, Bullock & Jett, 2017). What has been lacking in those efforts is an awareness of the harsh social realities that socially excluded, underprivileged students daily and the non-existent "mathematical opportunities" in those realities (Larnell, Bullock & Jett, 2017:19).…”

The Qualms and Quarrels with Online Undergraduate Mathematics: The Experiences of African American Male STEM Majors

“…Mathematics education researchers have used these tenets to generate various race-conscious analyses in our disciplinary field (see e.g., Larnell et al, 2016;Tate, 1993;Terry, 2011). Moreover, although CRT has five foundational tenets, two of them are of particular importance with respect to this study -adherence to interest convergence and utilization of voice and experiential knowledge to serve as counter-narrative.…”