Thomasenia Lott Adams

Critical pedagogy for critical mathematics education

This article provides a brief introduction to critical pedagogy and further discussion on critical mathematics education. Critical mathematics education enables students to read the world with mathematics. Three emerging domains of mathematics education related to critical mathematics education are discussed in this manuscript: ethnomathematics, equity in mathematics education and culturally responsive teaching. All three of these domains share the purpose of creating just and democratic classrooms while they provide different means to reach this purpose. Ultimately, the goal of the critical mathematics education is to empower students with knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to create democratic communities embracing social justice in and outside of school.

TECHNOLOGY MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE MATHEMATICS TEACHING

This study examines the influence of graphing calculators on a teachers assessment practices in a college algebra course. The researcher focused on three techniques of alternative assessment: oral discourse, teacher observations, and problem‐solving investigations. The teachers assessment practices were revealed during 6 weeks of classroom observations. The researcher examined the teachers assessment practices before and after the teacher used graphing calculators as tools for teaching and learning mathematics. The use of the graphing calculators enhanced the teachers assessment practices as related to oral discourse, classroom observations, and problem‐solving investigations. The results of the study indicate the potential for technological tools to influence teachers’ practices of alternative assessment in the mathematics classroom.

Helping Children Learn Mathematics through Multiple Intelligences and Standards for School Mathematics

M any approaches can be used when teaching mathematics to young . . children, and many theories and philosophies of learning address empowering children to learn mathematics. Whatever method is chosen, however, children’s varied learning styles, strengths, experiences, and perspectives must be considered. To achieve that goal, it is important to recognize that not all children learn in the same way, and that children have multiple means of learning.

Project friends: A multi-age learning community

Project Friends is a learning community based on our confidence in the multi-age classroom as a valuable and viable vehicle for teaching young children. Our three multi-age classrooms of kinder-garten, first- and second-grade children were the served as the setting for Project Friends. In this article, we share our beginnings, significant features and outcomes of the learning community, and our reflections on a year ended in Project Friends. Our experiences and the experiences of the children in the multi-age classrooms continue to provide rich contexts for teaching and learning in the elementary school.

Modeling Authentic Assessment for Preservice Elementary School Teachers.

Abstract Teacher educators who promote improvements in the assessment of student learning can also be models of authentic assessment for preservice teachers. It is not fair to promote appropriate models of assessment but not implement them in our own teaching, to ask preservice teachers to “do as we say and not as we do.” One of my goals for assessment in my methods courses is to help preservice teachers understand the many dimensions of authentic assessment. This article offers a description of those dimensions and examples of authentic assessment that I implement in my mathematics education methods course. The components of my assessment model are designed to provide a broad range of information for the purpose of improving student learning.

Reading Mathematics: An Introduction

The perspective of mathematics as a language has its validity in the structure and uses of mathematics. For example, mathematics involves the written expression of symbols (e.g., numerals, signs) that convey meaning, and these symbols can be manipulated to mean different things for different contexts. In addition, mathematics is a tool for describing situations, albeit in quantitative ways, and for transmitting those descriptions to interested parties. Mathematics also has a collection of specialized vocabulary that, when used in various written and=or oral form, can communicate ideas. When children are performing mathematics (e.g., calculating, solving, constructing), they are required to read mathematics. Reading in the content area is one perspective of reading mathematics, and it is most often reflected in reading word problems or biographies of mathematicians. Reading mathematics, however, also involves the reading of the language of mathematics itself, with one primary goal being proficiency. This theme issue presents four articles, each addressing important topics within the framework of reading mathematics: