“It’s Just So Important for Us to Take Time to Think About Our Biases and How We See Kids”: Pedagogical Third Spaces for Mathematics Teachers

• In Event: Expanding Theory on Teacher Noticing Through Collaborative Inquiry and Co-Design

Abstract

Objective or purpose
Pedagogical third spaces can support mathematics teachers’ learning as they are safe environments that promote critical dialogue. These spaces help teachers examine their practices, notice dominant narratives and take approaches that challenge their biases around students, math classrooms and mathematics education. The purpose of this paper is to explore the professional development (PD) experience as a pedagogical third space for two mathematics teachers who co-taught a math class and worked collaboratively on an action research project that centered on positioning students of color as experts.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
This paper uses the concept of third spaces (Gutiérrez, 1995; Gutierrez, 2008; Souto-Manning & Lanza, 2019; Moje et al., 2004; Zeichner, 2010), as alternative learning environments for mathematics teachers where they can reflect critically and collaboratively on their own practices. Drawing on the principles of noticing, anti-deficit noticing, positioning, anti-racist practices, and critical reflection, the framework emphasizes the importance of creating safe and supportive spaces where mathematics teachers can engage in equitable pedagogical approaches that counter dominant discourses.

The research question for this study is: How does a pedagogical third space support mathematics teachers’ critical inquiry into their own practices and their ability to notice and counter dominant ideologies and practices in math education?

Methods and data sources
The data was collected in the context of a professional development for mathematics teachers that drew on noticing and focused on antiracist teaching practices. We ran eleven sessions of two hours each. The data collected included two interviews, session recordings, reading discussions, a sociocultural selves activity, teachers’ journals, discussions of teachers’ classroom noticing artifacts, and teachers’ action research projects. This study focuses on the learning trajectories of Rachel and Danielle, two experienced mathematics teachers who co-taught one of their classes during the time they participated in our PD.

Results
We identified three ways in which the third space supported shifts in Rachel and Danielle’s practices. These shifts included starting to actively notice the dynamics in their classroom, critically reflecting on their own practice, and collaboratively developing an action research project based on their noticings and reflection. For example, they sought to reveal activities across their mathematics classroom that promoted competence and belonging and intentionally worked on ways to amplify them. They did this, in part, through a pedagogical approach that centered asset-based positioning of students of color.

Significance
This work is significant as it addresses the need for supportive environments where mathematics teachers can critically reflect on their practice, counter normative narratives, and develop pedagogical strategies that promote equity and inclusivity in mathematics education. By conceptualizing the professional development as a pedagogical third space, this paper contributes to the understanding of alternative learning environments that empower teachers to disrupt and counteract the dominant social structures in mathematics education.

Authors

• Brenda Aguirre Ortega, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Jennifer Garst, Manual High School