Using Multiple Representations of Classroom Participation to Assess Participatory Equity From "Insider" and "Outsider" Perspectives (Poster 4)

• In Event: Expanding Coaching and Representations to Support Teacher Sense-Making Toward Disrupting Inequitable Mathematics Teaching Practices

Abstract

Purpose
Advancing participatory equity — cultivating classrooms with fair (not necessarily equal) opportunities to participate (Esmonde, 2009) — requires understanding students’ varied learning experiences (Shah & Lewis, 2019). Every student has meaningful mathematical contributions to make, but not everyone is invited and supported to share. Gender and race shape students’ opportunities to participate, with females and students from minoritized backgrounds often positioned as less capable and less likely to succeed (Gresalfi & Hand, 2019; Martin, 2000). This paper illustrates the potential of reflecting on participatory equity by juxtaposing multiple representations of classroom participation. Both “insider” (teacher, student teacher, and students) and “outsider” (researcher) perspectives are considered.

Theoretical Perspectives
Participatory equity is defined as a fair distribution of opportunities for students to participate (Ernest et al., 2019; Esmonde, 2009). The focus on opportunities highlights the situated and social nature of participation and learning (Gresalfi et al., 2009; Lave & Wenger, 1991). Inequities play out through disparate and stratified opportunities for students to engage in meaningful learning experiences (Sullivan & Wilson, 2015), which may not be visible through traditional achievement measures (Langer-Osuna, 2011). The focus on fair distribution distinguishes equity from equality (Gutiérrez, 2012; Secada, 1989) and requires understanding students’ perceptions of fairness (McDermott & Roth, 1978).

Data & Methods
Data included video-stimulated interviews and daily lesson observations over one semester. Participants included one teacher, one student teacher, and students in two distance-learning high school calculus classes. Quantitative analyses examined contributions during whole-class discussions, captured real-time using EQUIP (Reinholz & Shah, 2018). Qualitative analyses examined participants’ talk during interviews and interactions during video-recorded tasks.

Results
Insiders’ views of participation issues were consistent, and yet were different from outsiders’ views of semester-long participation metrics. Specifically, numerous participants talked about male students dominating conversations but said little about race, whereas contribution metrics indicated white dominance superseded male dominance, with male students of color having the fewest opportunities for mathematically meaningful participation (Figure 3).

In addition, insiders’ views of small-group experiences were different from each other; some aligned with outsiders’ views, while others did not. Specifically, three male students experienced a small-group task positively, while their female group-mate experienced the opposite. Only the student teacher correctly sensed that the female student felt left-out and unappreciated. The teacher and two male students commented on her lack of talk, but did not identify any issues to address. An outsider’s view identified a consequential moment when the female student was interrupted while sharing a mathematical idea for the first time. Ultimately, these representations of students’ participation patterns offered insights into participatory equity.

Significance
Equitable mathematics teaching requires teachers to understand who is participating and in what ways so that participatory inequities can be addressed. But teachers cannot address inequities they do not see. Supporting teachers to reflect on multiple representations of student participation — in light of their own observations — builds a more robust and nuanced understanding of how to work toward equity in mathematics classrooms.

Author

• Heather Fink, Portland State University
  Presenting Author