Enacting Social Justice Pedagogy in Mathematics Classrooms

• In Event: Empowering Teachers and Pedagogies in Local Contexts

Abstract

Elizabeth de Freitas (2008) asserts “addressing social justice issues should be a primary goal of all education – including mathematics education” (p. 43). Yet linking social justice issues to mathematics instruction is far from the norm in U.S. classrooms. Some teachers ponder about how to incorporate social justice pedagogy (SJP) into prescribed or scripted mathematics lessons (Blinded et al., 2010; Wager & Stinson, in press). Providing teachers with examples of how to use SJP is critical to enacting these strategies in mathematics classrooms. Education for the public good is evident when teachers use SJP to empower students to think critically and take action in their school or community (Blinded, 2009; Gutstein, 2006).

Authors

• Jacqueline Leonard, University of Wyoming

• Cara M. Moore, The University of Tennessee