Mathematical Knowledge and Beliefs in Elementary Preservice Teachers' Design of Social Justice Thematic Units

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

Abstract

This study investigated the social justice practices and dispositions of pre-service elementary teachers in their mathematics methods course, with the ways that they considered mathematical content and social justice goals in the process. Researchers analyzed PSTs’ social justice project lessons collected over five years (n=86), instructor planning notes, and group reflections (n=24) of the planning process to understand the relationship between the mathematics and social justice context. Findings suggest that PSTs initially struggled to integrate their social justice goals not with challenging math goals, but with maintaining the problem based instructional practices valued in the course. The elementary context also added to resistance to exposing children to uncomfortable topics that they thought students would find unfamiliar.

Author

• Edd V. Taylor, University of Colorado - Boulder