https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi You can add comments, ideas or reflections (or anything else you consider relevant) by clicking the + button below each column. This action research collection is collated by Fiona Yardley and Max Aantjes, Canterbury Christ Church University, for attendants of the Mathematical Association 2022 Conference. en-us 2022-04-10 20:09:57 UTC 2022-04-12 22:18:02 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f91d.png ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138238403 Students were shown this 5-minute video about the use of mathematical transformations in graphic design. It covers rotation, translation and enlargement. The video shows how such skills can be used to create interactive posters against climate change. ]]> 2022-04-10 20:16:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138238403 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138241764 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Tokenism - Does the activity give students a clear example of social justice activism? Is that important? Why (not)? 
• Agency - Does the activity empower students to make something similar to the teacher? Why (not)? 
• Utilitarianism - Would it be "better" if the subject of the poster was an art project that students were interested in, such as making a cartoon animation? Why (not)? 

]]> 2022-04-10 20:22:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138241764 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138249692 This activity focuses on calculator skills and sine functions. During the exit task of the lesson, students were given a post-it note with an angle on it. They were also given a formula with a sine function. Students had to use their calculators to find the solution. Each of their solutions gives the length of a piece of string in the construction of a model sine wave. Afterwards, they could collaborate to construct this model. This part was cancelled, however, due to time limitations. ]]> 2022-04-10 20:36:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138249692 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138250305 This is the Blog Post that served as inspiration for this activity. ]]> 2022-04-10 20:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138250305 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138255510 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Utilitarianism - Does it matter that this activity has no social justice content and direct link to activism? Does it count as mathematics for social justice? Why (not)? 
• Consistency - Is it possible to implement mathematics for social justice education exclusively through exit tickets like these? Why (not)? 
• Agency - Is this a good example of collaborative explorative learning? Is that valuable? Why (not)?

]]> 2022-04-10 20:47:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138255510 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138258645 This is a worksheet modelled on complex higher GCSE questions. It invites students to solve problems in a rescue story based on a real historical natural disaster in Ecuador. The content covers bearings, sine rules and cosine rules.  The worksheet was given to students as one of the final challenges in the unit. Most students did not complete the worksheet and instead focused on reinforcing more accessible parts of the unit. ]]> 2022-04-10 20:53:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138258645 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138262289 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Stat-centricity - Does this activity count as mathematics for social justice? Are social justice focused lessons for sine and cosine rules possible? Why (not)?
• Consistency - Is the material accessible to all students in the classroom? Is this a problem? Why (not)?
• Tokenism - To what extent is this context realistic? Does that matter? Why (not)?  

]]> 2022-04-10 20:59:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138262289 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138266450 2022-04-10 21:07:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138266450 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138267685 This activity models completing the square and finding the roots for students. Students first look at a real-life COVID graph and consider if and how it fits with their prior learning in mathematics. They are then shown how they can find the roots and complete the square for a simplified COVID-19 spread model. They then apply their learning to two other simplified models (numbers change) to find the peaks and start/end of the oubreak. This fits with the popular I DO/ WE DO/ YOU DO modelling approach. ]]> 2022-04-10 21:09:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138267685 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138274206 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Consistency - Does an activity like this fit with the mathematics of the social justice movement? Does it matter if it only covers the modelling phase? Why (not)?  
• Tokenism - Does this activity encourage students to use mathematics as an analytical tool? Why (not)?
• Agency - Does this activity give students enough opportunity to discover processes themselves? Is that a problem? Why (not)? 

]]> 2022-04-10 21:21:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138274206 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138285504 2022-04-10 21:42:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138285504 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138288397 2022-04-10 21:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138288397 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138288863 This activity teaches students to set up simultaneous equations. This is achieved by going through three real-life examples (I do/ we do/ you do). It then invites students to go back through the models to discuss the assumptions they (and the teacher) have been making (think-pair-share). Possible answers include that the shop owner charges similar prices to everyone (fairness); that all bears and birds have all their limps (ableism); that the physical size of classrooms in private and public schools is the same (fairness). ]]> 2022-04-10 21:49:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138288863 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138294809 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Tokenism - How does this differ activity from the activity in case study 4? Is reflecting on the assumptions made in mathematical models helpful? Why (not)? 
• Utilitarianism - Does the activity give students clear direction for social justice activism? Does it matter? Why (not)? 
• Relevance - Are these 'real-life' examples natural and meaningful to students? Or is it some kind of semi-realistic attempt at making irrelevant content relevant? Why (not)? 

]]> 2022-04-10 21:59:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138294809 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138304301 Students were given open-ended questions in groups as their exit tickets. The question was a circle theorem diagram with a few values. Students had to come up with their own questions and write or discuss the working out. ]]> 2022-04-10 22:16:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138304301 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138306040 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Consistency - Does an activity like this fit with the mathematics of the social justice movement? Does it matter if it only covers exit tickets? Why (not)? 
• Utilitarianism - Does it matter that this activity has no social justice content? Does it still count as mathematics for social justice? Why (not)? 
• Agency - Does the activity give students control over question formation? Would it be better if they can also create diagrams themselves? Why (not)? 

]]> 2022-04-10 22:19:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138306040 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138310211

Cooper, B. (2001), Social class and ‘real-life’ mathematics assessments. In Gates (ed) Issues in Mathematics Teaching  pp 245 – 258. London: Routledge Falmer.​

Darby, L. (2010), Characterising secondary school teacher imperatives as subject (signature) pedagogies: A pedagogy of Support in maths and a pedagogy of engagement in science. Proceedings of the 2010 Australian Association for Research in Education Conference p 1-14.  ​

Gutstein, E., & Peterson, B. (Eds.). (2005). Rethinking mathematics: Teaching social justice by the numbers. Rethinking Schools.​

Wright, P. (2016). Teaching mathematics for social justice: Meaningful projects for the secondary mathematics classroom (pp. 1-65). Association of Teachers of Mathematics.​

]]> 2022-04-10 22:28:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138310211 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138311165 Lockhart talks about the apparent inability of mathematics education to show how students' own work provides a starting point for a more complex, valuable end product. ]]> 2022-04-10 22:30:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138311165 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138691070 The case studies (on the right) present attempts by a trainee teacher (Max) to overcome common issues with realistic and social justice approaches to mathematics education. ]]> 2022-04-11 05:39:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138691070 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138692173 In our view, realistic and social justice approaches to mathematics education do not always address issues of…​

• … relevance​ - the production of artificial, semi-realistic examples that are not meaningful for students. 
• … utilitarianism - the overvaluation of the instrumental value of mathematics education.
• … stats-centricity​ - the scarcity of lesson plans beyond data and statistics units. 
• … tokenism​ - the superficial addition of social justice context without further critical reflection. 
• … consistency​ - the one-off or temporary nature of most interventions. 
• … agency - the limit that the control of teachers over lesson preparation put on student empowerment.

]]> 2022-04-11 05:40:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138692173 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138693583 Please do come up with your own questions for reflection! But here are some ideas: 

• Do you agree with this list and its definitions? Why (not)?
• Do some of the issues on this list seem more relevant then others? If so, which ones? 

]]> 2022-04-11 05:42:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138693583 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138696502 Do you have any further reading suggestions? If so, which ones?]]> 2022-04-11 05:45:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2138696502 ma916 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2139069649 2022-04-11 12:30:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2139069649 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141512338 In my head, "social justice" is related to the unfair advantages that the social status gives to people. In the context of education it relates to pupils belonging to lower background being at a disadvantage in achieving the same level of education of more affluent pairs.
It looks like you mix social issues unrelated to justice, and environmental issues, to issues related to social justice, making the whole matter confusing.
Moreover, statistics is not mathematics. it uses mathematical tools. It's necessary to calculate percentages or rates you can then use to prove arguments about social justice. I don't see any issue in it. Your lesson can be on percentages, or rate of interest and not statistics.]]> 2022-04-12 21:43:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141512338 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141525533 I think you mix up the idea of "real-life examples" and the idea of "social justice". There are 2 different things. Unfortunately, real-life examples don't make mathematics more interesting to pupils unless they are carefully chosen to match pupils' interests. You can then start a discussion about how mathematics helps solve environmental problems and so on so forth. It can be an interesting plenary if nothing else.]]> 2022-04-12 22:01:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141525533 https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141538356 The problem in putting social or environmental issues in a maths lesson is that pupils need:
1) to develop the mathematical knowledge related to the lesson;
2) to be interested and to a certain extent knowledgeable in the scientific area connected to the issue (for ex. ecology and environment, or geography and climate change);
3) to be interested in the issue, and to understand it.
None of the three points are granted at all, and generally speaking it would add considerable cognitive load in the mind of a pupil. I don't see a concrete possibility of introducing them to a school environment till university, unless packed in a very clever way. 
I think that if you just managed to get the pupils engaged in problem-solving tasks using the leverage of a possible social relevance you would make an amazing feat.]]> 2022-04-12 22:18:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ma916/6tkf96q9ejdq6wqi/wish/2141538356