The Need to Care: Caring and Climate in Mathematics Classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Factors That Create Supportive and Effective Learning Environments

Abstract

Given that proficiency in mathematics is a vital component for success in today’s technological workforce, it is imperative that educators create a classroom climate conductive to learning mathematics. To investigate this matter further, a purposeful sample of 161 high school, community college, and 4-year university mathematics instructors were solicited to provide responses to open-ended survey items focused on creating a classroom climate conducive to learning mathematics. Results suggest that high school and community college instructors operate with the need to explicitly show “care” for their students by consistently forwarding a learner-centered picture of pedagogy, while 4-year university instructors place more of an emphasis on a research base for their pedagogical decisions in a manner that de-centers the student from instruction.

Authors

• Michelle L. Peters, University of Houston - Clear Lake

• Debora Hinderliter Ortloff, Finger Lakes Community College