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Grouping for "Diversity": An Equitable Practice?

Tue, April 9, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Floor: 700 Level, Room 709

Abstract

In this interview-based study, we investigated the ways in which a group of secondary mathematics teachers, working in an urban district in which racial equity was an explicit, district-wide focus, described equitable approaches to arranging students for groupwork. Although we found that teachers described multiple strategies for working toward equity in their grouping of students, in this paper we focus on a subset of results: teachers’ descriptions of arranging students so that each small group mirrors the whole-class demographics—grouping for “diversity.” In particular, we discuss teachers’ rationales for employing this strategy, which we interpret as a conflation of “equity” and “diversity” rooted in a misinterpretation of the reasons for desegregation. We conclude by considering implications for research and practice.

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