Equity in Mathematics Methods Coursework: A Necessary Pairing

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Diverse Inquiry, Common Content: Examining Equity and Practice in Mathematics Education

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the ways in which elementary teacher candidates characterize equity and equitable teaching at the beginning and end of a mathematics methods course to both learn more about their notions of equity and equitable teaching and to determine what, if any, influence the methods course had on their understanding. Using qualitative methods, the definitions and examples were coded into three different categories: equity as academic success, equity as management of the classroom, and equity as teachers’ relationships with students. Results indicate that students’ responses changed from the beginning to the ending surveys and support the hypothesis that more sophisticated or advanced ways of thinking can be developed through an equity focused mathematics methods course.

Authors

• Imani Masters Goffney, University of Maryland - College Park

• Monica Lyn Gonzalez, East Carolina University