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Racial equity in maths education

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  • Racial equity in maths education
  • Espresso
  • 50: Covariational reasoning
  • 49: Teaching and learning equivalence
  • 48: Early development of functional thinking
  • 47: Developing concepts of pattern
  • 46: Building and breaking 2D and 3D shapes
  • 45: Teaching logical reasoning
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29 October 2020

Infographic displaying the Cultural frames that may obscure racism in education. Minimization of racism frame, naturalization frame, cultural racism frame and abstract liberalism frame.

What does the research suggest about racial equity issues in mathematics education?

  • Research, and the experiences of minoritised students, challenge the common view that mathematics is neutral
  • Critical race theory may provide a useful lens with which to examine educational systems within which racism is systemically embedded in many cultural and day-to-day features of school life
  • Instead of using “colour-blind” or “race-neutral” approaches, explicit talk about race and the use of counter-narratives is suggested, centring the experiences of minoritised students in the mathematics classroom
  • Teachers rejecting deficit narratives surrounding Black and ethnically minoritised students allow space for these students to create their own mathematically successful identities
  • Statistics on achievement should be considered in the light of the barriers both within and outside school which may have contributed to differential patterns of mathematics success
  • Critical reflective practice that encourages teachers to examine their own assumptions and biases around issues of identity should form part of professional development for maths teachers
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