Developing Equitable and Open Communication Between Latino Immigrant Parents and the Mathematics Classroom

• In Event: Connecting Families and Bilingual Education: Communication and Dual-Language Education

Abstract

In this paper we focus on supporting Bilingual Pre-service Teachers (BPTs) to develop a practice of communicating to parents their children’s mathematical thinking, and on inviting parents to participate in the instructional practices in the mathematics classroom. We argue that this practice is knowledge-intensive in that pre-service teachers draw on their knowledge of children’s mathematical thinking, and communicating this to parents reflects their knowledge. We conceptualize this knowledge as situated in, and integrated with, the practice of teaching. For this reason we consider it necessary to support the development of this knowledge early in pre- service teacher education. The present work documents our effort to do so with a group of BPTs in two elementary bilingual mathematics methods courses.

Authors

• Gladys Krause, William and Mary

• Kiyomi Sanchez-Suzuki Colegrove, Texas State University