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  Case: Math and Social Justice! No No!
Recently, I read a report in a national magazine on income levels of different groups of people in the US. The report especially featured income differences between males, females and different ethnic groups. Some of the statistics were very disturbing. For example, women holding the same job as men with same number of years in the job made considerably less money in most of the states. Differences between ethnic groups were even more disturbing. I decided to use these data in my math class with my 5th graders in a lesson on graphing. The purpose was for the students to be able to interpret graphs and create graphs using the information provided. Students enjoyed the lesson and learned some social justice lessons. Apparently a lot of my students talked to their parents about what they had learned in class when they went home. I received notes from about 10 parents the next day simply indicating that what I taught in my math class would lead to hatred among my students and that I should not be wasting their children's valuable time. Rather, they suggested, I should teach math with no controversial materials. I completely disagree with them and I plan to use similar materials in my other courses as well. However, my principals asked me to send an explanation to those parents. I know my explanation will not stop the complaints. How should I go about this potentially long battle? Or should I take the short cut simply remove such content from my lessons?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
I feel that your lessons are moving in the right direction as you are integrating topics so children are being socially enriched as well as gain their math skills. I send home a weekly parent letter every Friday with my students. The parent letter tells parents what their students will be working on the upcoming week and how they can help as well. I feel you could send home some note explaining the math concept being taught and then how you plan to incorporate other areas into your lesson such as you have done. Showing different issues such as the one you used in your math lesson could be used to motivate students, such as girls to work extra hard to achieve their goals. Another idea is to have students write in their math journals what they learned about graphing as well as what they learned about social careers and gender. I think you are doing a wonderful job incorporating real life experiences into your math lessons so students can apply them to the real world and their lives in the future.
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes
The suggested solution is original Yes
Comments: I like how you send a letter home every Friday, that is a great way to keep parents informed so they don't feel alienated or in the dark about what their kids are learning at school. When something controversial does come up this constant communication will help ease their bias.
Rated On: October 19, 2014 11:07 pm
Rated By: Adam Sanchez