“I think those are mathematical”: STEM teachers’ learning about culturally sustaining pedagogies

• In Event: Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies in Mathematics Education: Constructing a New Vision for Research and Classroom Practices

Abstract

Purpose
Images of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (CSPs) are generally content-neutral, rendering them intangible and opaque for many mathematics teachers (Aguirre & Zavala, 2013). Many mathematics teachers lament that understanding precisely how to teach in these ways remains elusive (Ukpokodu, 2011). In this paper, we report on findings from a four-year study on mathematics teachers’ learning of CSPs, illuminating practical and content-specific examples of CSPs that these teachers adapted from research, their collaborative brainstorming, or their own classrooms.

Theoretical Framework
We use a sociocultural lens to explore teachers’ sensemaking, learning, and identity development through interaction. Drawing on Author 4’s four dimensions of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies in math—anti-assimilationism, strengths-based teaching, power and justice, and affirming identities—we highlight how teachers can support equity. This includes honoring students’ cultures and languages (Kokka, 2015), leveraging their knowledge and interests (Moll et al., 1992), understanding systemic marginalization (Gutiérrez, 2009), and using math to pursue justice (Gutstein, 2003). Affirming identities ensures students feel seen and valued as both cultural and mathematical beings (Horn et al., 2015; Bannister, 2015).

Methods and Data Sources
This project was part of a larger research-practice partnership between university researchers and a selective professional development organization for secondary mathematics teachers (Horn & Garner, 2022). Teachers elected to join a “working group” on CSPs. We typically met as a group monthly for 90 minutes with the common aim of developing CSPs specific to mathematics and to the members’ students. In each year of the 4-year study, we had between 9 and 15 members. We followed ethnographic methods of data collection (Emerson et al., 2011), collecting video-recordings and transcripts of each meeting, along with researcher fieldnotes; semi-structured interviews with participants; artifacts from the working group; and video-recorded lessons and fieldnotes from classrooms of some members of the group.

Results
Teachers in our study found the anti-assimilationism dimension of CSPs accessible, readily identifying ways students were pressured to conform to dominant norms. Still, some felt uncertain about implementing it without limiting student agency. While strengths-based teaching resonated with many, teachers often defaulted to cultivating rather than leveraging students’ existing strengths. A strengths matrix tool helped but proved challenging. Power and justice was the most difficult dimension; teachers feared repercussions and felt unsure how to use math to address oppression. Identity affirmation focused mostly on language, with teachers eager but unsure how to honor cultural identities and practices more broadly.

Significance
While CSPs are increasingly recognized in education, there is limited research on their application in mathematics, especially regarding teacher learning and professional development (Author 4). Emerging examples show promise, but key questions remain about how teachers adapt CSPs to their contexts and what they find challenging or valuable. To address this gap, we offer strategies and tools to support teachers and teacher educators in implementing asset-based approaches to math instruction. In a field with sparse research, these insights aim to advance understanding and practice around CSPs in mathematics education.

Authors

• Samantha Marshall, North Carolina State University

• Devan MacKenzie, North Carolina State University

• Hajra Fayyaz, North Carolina State University

• Darryl Yong, Harvey Mudd College