Submission Type

Event

Expected Graduation Date

2010

Location

Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University

Start Date

4-10-2010 9:00 AM

End Date

4-10-2010 10:00 AM

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

For this inquiry, I integrated social justice issues into the mathematics curriculum in a fourth grade classroom. My inquiry questions are: In what ways do children understand real life connections between math and social issues? How can I create meaningful learning experiences about specific social issues using mathematics? To answer these questions, I created lessons and held class discussions about three different social justice issues relevant to students' lives: money, equality, and sweatshops. The data I collected included student work, my own written reflections on lessons I taught, and field notes of child observations. Preliminary findings indicate that students understand real life connections between math and social issues. I also found that the students had a better understanding of the mathematics concepts from the inclusion of social justice issues.

Included in

Education Commons

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Apr 10th, 9:00 AM Apr 10th, 10:00 AM

Real Life Connections: Integrating Social Justice into the Elementary Mathematics Classroom

Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University

For this inquiry, I integrated social justice issues into the mathematics curriculum in a fourth grade classroom. My inquiry questions are: In what ways do children understand real life connections between math and social issues? How can I create meaningful learning experiences about specific social issues using mathematics? To answer these questions, I created lessons and held class discussions about three different social justice issues relevant to students' lives: money, equality, and sweatshops. The data I collected included student work, my own written reflections on lessons I taught, and field notes of child observations. Preliminary findings indicate that students understand real life connections between math and social issues. I also found that the students had a better understanding of the mathematics concepts from the inclusion of social justice issues.

 

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