Abstract
As the school population becomes increasingly diverse with students of differing ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, there is a need for more responsive practices that capitalize on the cultural capital that such students bring to the learning process. Current practices especially in mathematics teaching are failing to meet the learning needs of most diverse students thus contributing to their lack of success. Further, few teacher education programs have successfully tackled the challenging task of preparing teachers to meet the learning needs of diverse students. This article explores the theory of constructivism and its implications to mathematics teaching. The article further explores culturally responsive pedagogy and what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher. In their analyses, the authors draw parallels between culturally responsive pedagogical practices and strategies for teaching based on a constructivist view of learning. They demonstrate why the general principles derived from the constructivist theory are particularly suited for teaching diverse students consistent with notions of culturally responsive pedagogy. Some recommendations for teacher preparation are then provided.
References
Aceves, T. C., & Orosco, M. J. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching (Document No. IC-2). Retrieved from University of Florida, Collaboration for Effective Educator, Development, Accountability, and Reform Center website http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/tools/innovation-configurations/Search in Google Scholar
Allard, A. C., & Santoro, N. (2006). Troubling identities: Teacher education students’ constructions of class and ethnicity. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(1), 115–129.10.1080/03057640500491021Search in Google Scholar
Brewer, J. & Daane, C. J (2002). Translating Constructivist Theory into Practice in Primary Grade Mathematics. Education, 123(2), 416–417.Search in Google Scholar
Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.10.4159/9780674029019Search in Google Scholar
Clements, D. H., & Battista, M. T. (1990). Constructivist learning and teaching. Arithmetic Teacher, 30(1), 34–39.10.5951/AT.38.1.0034Search in Google Scholar
Cobb, P. (1994b). Where is the mind? Constructivist and sociocultural perspectives on mathematical development. Educational Researcher, 23(7), 13–20.10.3102/0013189X023007013Search in Google Scholar
Cochran-Smith, M. (2003). Learning and unlearning: The education of teacher educators. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 5–28.10.1016/S0742-051X(02)00091-4Search in Google Scholar
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2013). CAEP accreditation standards. Washington, DC: Author.Search in Google Scholar
Cushner, K., McClelland, A., & Safford, P. (2009). Human diversity in education: An integrative approach (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Search in Google Scholar
Dornoo, M. D. (2009). Pre-service teachers’ perspectives on and preparation for teaching mathematics equitably. Reno: University of Nevada.Search in Google Scholar
Fosnot, C. T., & Perry, R. S. (2005). Constructivism: A psychological theory of learning. In C. Fosnot (Ed.), Constructivism. Theory, perspectives, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 8–38). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Search in Google Scholar
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press.Search in Google Scholar
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Search in Google Scholar
Haberman, M. (1991). The pedagogy of poverty vs. good teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 73(4), 290–294.Search in Google Scholar
Hollins, E. R., & Guzman, M. T. (2005). Research on preparing teachers for diverse populations. In M. Cochran-Smith & K. M. Zeichner (Eds.), Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education (pp. 477–548). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Search in Google Scholar
Irvine, J. J., & Armento, B. (Eds.). (2001). Culturally responsive teaching: Lesson planning for elementary and middle grades. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.Search in Google Scholar
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995a). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159–165.10.1080/00405849509543675Search in Google Scholar
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995b). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32, 465–491.10.3102/00028312032003465Search in Google Scholar
Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Search in Google Scholar
Likpa, J., & Adams, B. (2004). Culturally based education as a way to improve Alaska native students’ math performances (Working Paper No. 20). Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics. Athens, OH: Ohio University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 484849.)Search in Google Scholar
Lynch, M. (2016). What is culturally responsive pedagogy. The Huffington Post, Retrieved May 30, 2017 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch edd/culturally responsive-pedagogy_b_1147364.htmlSearch in Google Scholar
MacDonald, S., Colville-Hall, S., & Smolen, L. (2003). Program ownership and the “transformative agenda” in colleges of education: Teachers of teachers working toward a more equitable society. Multicultural Education, 10(4), 7–14.Search in Google Scholar
McVee, M. B., & Boyd, F. (2016). Exploring diversity through multimodality, narrative, and dialogue: A framework for teacher reflection. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9781315700311Search in Google Scholar
Moschkovich, J. N. (1996). Moving up and getting steeper: Negotiating shared descriptions of linear graphs. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 5(3), 239–277.10.1207/s15327809jls0503_4Search in Google Scholar
Snyder, T. D & Dillow, S.A (2013).Digest of Education Statistics (2012). DOI: , National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.Search in Google Scholar
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principals and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.Search in Google Scholar
Nieto, S. (2000). Placing equity front and center: Some thoughts on transforming teacher education for a new century. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 180–187.10.1177/0022487100051003004Search in Google Scholar
Noguera, P. (2003). City schools and the American dream: Reclaiming the promise of public education. New York: Teachers College Press.Search in Google Scholar
Oakes, J., & Lipton, M. (2007). Teaching to change the world. Boston: McGraw Hill.Search in Google Scholar
Patadia, H., & Thomas, T. (2002). Multicultural aspects of mathematics teacher education programmes. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 4, 56–66.Search in Google Scholar
Simon, M. A. (1995). Reconstructing mathematics pedagogy from a constructivist perspective. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 26, 114–145.10.2307/749205Search in Google Scholar
Skepple, R. G (2014). Preparing culturally responsive pre-service teachers for culturally diverse classrooms. Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning, 12, 57– 69.Search in Google Scholar
Sleeter, C. E. (1997). Mathematics, multicultural education, and professional development. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(6), 680–696.10.2307/749637Search in Google Scholar
Sleeter, C. E. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: Research and the overwhelming presence of Whiteness. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(2), 94–106.10.1177/0022487101052002002Search in Google Scholar
Tate, W. F. (2005). Race, retrenchment, and the reform of school mathematics. In E. Gustein & B. Peterson (Eds.), Rethinking mathematics: Teaching for social justice by the numbers (pp. 31–40). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools Publication.Search in Google Scholar
Tsuruda, G. (1994). Putting it together: middle school math in transition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Search in Google Scholar
U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Language use and English-speaking ability: 2007. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/languageSearch in Google Scholar
Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., & Bay-Williams, J. M. (2013). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.Search in Google Scholar
Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 53, 20–32.10.1177/0022487102053001003Search in Google Scholar
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between 1earning and development From: Mind and. Society (pp. 79–91). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Watson, D., Charner-Laird, M., Kirkpatrick, C., Szczesiul, S., & Gordon, P. (2006). Effective teaching/effective urban teaching: Grappling with definitions, grappling with difference. Journal of Teacher Education, 57, 395–409.10.1177/0022487106291564Search in Google Scholar
Wood, T., Cobb, P., & Yackel, E. (1995). Reflections on learning and teaching mathematics in elementary school. In L. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in education (pp. 401 422). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Search in Google Scholar
Yackel, E., & Cobb, S. (1996). Sociomathematical norms, argumentation and autonomy in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 27, 458–477.10.5951/jresematheduc.27.4.0458Search in Google Scholar
© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- In Search of Diversity-Oriented Leadership
- Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teaching and Constructivism: Preparing Teachers for Diverse Classrooms
- Physical Education Teachers’ Understandings of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Teaching Black Male Students
- “Is There Lead in My Water?”: Employing a Culturally Compelling Instructional Perspective to Teach for Change
- “Yeah, but I’m Shy!”: Classroom Participation as a Social Justice Issue
- Knowledge, Practices and Views of Ghanaian Students with Visual Impairment about Hiv/Aids
- Teachers' Perceptions of Refugee Students in Turkish Schools
- The Impact of Culture on Parental Perceptions about Autism Spectrum Disorders: Striving for Culturally Competent Practices
Articles in the same Issue
- In Search of Diversity-Oriented Leadership
- Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teaching and Constructivism: Preparing Teachers for Diverse Classrooms
- Physical Education Teachers’ Understandings of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Teaching Black Male Students
- “Is There Lead in My Water?”: Employing a Culturally Compelling Instructional Perspective to Teach for Change
- “Yeah, but I’m Shy!”: Classroom Participation as a Social Justice Issue
- Knowledge, Practices and Views of Ghanaian Students with Visual Impairment about Hiv/Aids
- Teachers' Perceptions of Refugee Students in Turkish Schools
- The Impact of Culture on Parental Perceptions about Autism Spectrum Disorders: Striving for Culturally Competent Practices