When It Comes to the Mathematics Experiences of Black Pre-Service Teachers… Race Matters

Abstract

Background/Context There is a growing body of research that conceptualizes mathematics learning and participation as racialized experiences; that is, learning experiences structured in part by the negative and unjust race relations that are present in U.S. society. However, the role racialized experiences play in the lives of Black elementary education pre-service students from urban contexts, as both students and future teachers of mathematics, is under theorized. Theoretical Framework Using critical race theory's racial micro-aggressions and the development of a mathematics identity, the author explores the mathematics experiences of 13 Black advanced undergraduate students who are elementary education majors. The participants’ narratives reflect their experiences as both students of mathematics and future teachers. Research Design A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore the prior and current mathematical experiences of the study participants and their future trajectories as teachers of mathematics. Reponses were coded to reveal themes of racialization and the development of the participants’ mathematics identities. Results The participants’ narratives cited Black male fathers and close male relatives as their first mathematics teachers, the presence of culturally affirming at-home mathematics activities, and detailed aspirations to teach mathematics fearlessly to their own children and future students. Their more recent experiences included academic struggles in mathematics, often stemming from racial stereotyping and non-affirming college mathematics teachers. Their voices suggest that, within the context of learning mathematics, they have generated self-constructions that include racism as part of their shared African American experience in mathematics schooling that have implications for their teaching of mathematics. Conclusion/Recommendations Recommendations include the provision of professional development that targets gaps in mathematics that are the result of inadequate and discriminatory learning opportunities, and culturally sensitive professional development for mathematics college faculty, with differentiated training for mathematics faculty not born in the U.S. In light of the high proportion of Black teachers working in urban schools who face a host of difficulties, this research also supports the continued development of combatting racial micro-aggressions in mathematics education as a decisive tactic to improve the retention of Black elementary education teachers.

The Teacher Experiences of Racialized Microaggression (TERM) Scale: Construction and Initial Validation

“…This framing of mathematics results in a politicizing of mathematics that so often positions Black students at the lowest rung of mathematics achievement, as measured by standardized assessment. These ideas about Black students permeate mathematics education and filter their way into mathematics teacher education preparation (McGee, 2014), leading to Black teacher candidates reporting isolation and lack of support in predominantly-white mathematics education teacher preparation programs. We propose that mathematics teacher education has a role in explicitly addressing racism, not only how racism impacts students, but also how racism impacts Black teachers and other teachers of color.…”

Black English and Mathematics Education: A Critical Look at Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

“…They have described how this linguistic form has been attached to these students' identities and ways of knowing (Filmer, 2003;Smitherman & McGinnis, 1980), and how they help to communicate rigorous mathematical ideas. We contend that mathematics learning for Black children has to reckon with the ways they engage in linguistic practices as they seek to engage in mathematical practices such as conjecturing and proving, because even in mathematics spaces, Blacks face some intense linguistic discrimination (McGee, 2014). These high-quality practices are incumbent on one's language, and we argue that while AAVE exists within these types of practices, CRP allows it to be affirmed.…”