Cultivating Black Girl Magic in Mathematics Classrooms: A Literature Review on K–12 Spaces

• In Event: Black Womanist Epistemology and Experience at the Nexus of Truth-Telling in Consequential Scholarship

Abstract

Mathematics education is a racialized and gendered organizational space (Acker, 1990, Hottinger, 2016, Martin, 2007) that positions African American girls as “outsiders” to mathematics learning and knowledge production (Gholson & Martin, 2014). This outsider perception stems from the devaluation of Black girls throughout the history of the United States (U.S.) (Collins, 2009; Cooper, 2018), going as far back as their commodification during slavery. In classrooms, Black girls’ academic invisibility, yet behavioral hyper-visibility and adultification, make many of their educational experiences negative (Gholson, 2016). Recently, videos of school resource officers attacking Black girls in classrooms for minor behavior violations have circulated around social media, the majority of which happened in mathematics classes. This occurs because of traditional logics-- disciplinary assumptions, norms, and values in mathematics (e.g., speed and accuracy, engineered competition, and innate ability myth) (Acker, 1990, Leyva, et. al, 2021)-- create uniquely violent experiences for Black girls in U.S. mathematics classrooms. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to advance the premise that Black girls are brilliant and have unique, valuable contributions to make in mathematics spaces (Joseph, 2021). One way teachers can neutralize this violence is to enact the tenets of Joseph’s Black Feminist Mathematics Pedagogies (BlackFMP) (2021), which incorporates the four dimensions of Black Feminist/Womanist epistemologies (Collins, 2009) to foster positive mathematics experiences for Black girls.
Following a review of empirical studies going as far back as 2010 (as prior literature either grouped Black girls with Black boys or compared them with white girls), and using the analytical framework of traditional mathematics logics, we find that structures and resources at schools and communities can go a long way toward helping Black girls create and maintain high mathematics identities. Structures like single-sex classrooms and co-curricular programs challenge stereotypes in math and support Black girls’ confidence in mathematics (Joseph, et al., 2017). Additionally, all students perceive themselves as more successful when they have some experience being taught by teachers of color (Cherng & Halpin, 2016). Having more Black mathematics teachers in middle/high schools increases the likelihood of Black students taking additional rigorous mathematics courses (Klopfenstein, 2005).
Acknowledging these structures, teachers' beliefs are central to Black girls identity-building in mathematics. Since students’ perceptions can affect achievement, teachers who express cultural knowledge of Black girls in their classrooms can influence them, which can build positive views of mathematics among Black girls (Byrnes, 2003). Additionally, teachers who develop strong mathematics identities in their Black girls allow them the freedom to show up as their authentic selves in mathematics classrooms (Joseph & Alston, 2018). Whether these girls are loud, quiet, sassy, or reserved, they need their teachers to support their growth as mathematics students and human beings. With limited research exploring instruction for Black girls, there is a critical need to better understand instructional practices in relation to their mathematics identity development. To borrow the sentiment of the Combahee River Collective (1977), when Black girls are put in the position to actualize themselves as math learners and doers, it means all student demographics can.

Author

• Brittany L. Marshall, Rutgers University
  Presenting Author