Chapter 1: Facilitating Conversations About Inequities in Mathematics Classrooms:

Teaching mathematics is a complex endeavor. Preparing and supporting mathematics teachers requires educators who recognize that mathematics classrooms are spaces where complex interactions happen between the teacher and students and among peers. Nasir, Hand, and Taylor (2008) have argued that “mathematics classrooms are inherently cultural spaces where different forms of knowing and being are being validated” (p 206). Whose knowledge and who is being validated are equity concerns. Teachers across all grade levels are constantly challenged to make their classrooms equitable learning environments for their students. As mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) who prepare the next generation of mathematics teachers and support current classroom teachers, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and challenge these inequities. This means that we must engage with this work in our teacher education contexts. We have to articulate how we prepare teachers to take on the challenge of believing in the competence and potential of every student. We also need to be able to support them in making their classrooms into equitable places for everyone to learn mathematics.