Chapter 7: Diverse Perspectives on Sociopolitical Framings for Mathematics Methods

During the Scholarly Inquiry and Practices Conference (Sanchez, Kastberg, Tyminski, & Lischka, 2015), mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) grouped by theoretical perspective (cognitive, situated, or sociopolitical) worked to develop goals and activities for mathematics teacher education. Our sociopolitical group resisted naming objectives and activities to align with our perspective. Some felt that an emphasis on objectives suggested a cognitive underpinning that conflicted with our perspective. Instead, we discussed creating experiences for prospective mathematics teachers (PTs) to reflect on the social, cultural, and political dimensions of mathematics teaching and learning. We agreed that fostering equitable teaching requires MTEs to challenge the status quo across courses rather than through isolated activities. Moreover, we recognized that unique experiences with privilege and oppression inform sociopolitical perspectives in deeply personal ways, and consequently, MTE practices informed by such perspectives cannot be generalized. While honoring this complexity, we recognized the need for feasible (for MTEs) and accessible (for PTs) approaches to focusing on the sociopolitical nature of mathematics within already packed methods courses.