"Extremes Getting More Extreme": Experiences of Mathematics Teaching in the COVID Mandatory-Online Learning Environment

• In Event: Seeking and Supporting Equity in Math Teachers' Work

Abstract

COVID forced American schools online. The mandatory-online learning environment (MOLE) presented challenges to teaching equitably. This case study of a secondary mathematics department explores how teachers experienced their practice in the MOLE and how it impacted equity-focused practices. Data from interviews and focus groups with teachers indicate that the MOLE limited teachers’ ability to notice and address status differentials in groupwork and inhibited teachers’ tenacity in forming positive relationships with students, both of which promote equity in collaborative work (Cohen & Lotan, 2014; Franke et al, 2007). This study indicates that sharing physical space plays a critical role in teachers’ noticing of students’ needs and the tenacious and equitable cultivation of positive relationships with all students.

Author

• Drew Nucci, University of Washington