Toolkit for Bridging Gaps by

Multicultural Math Literature, Global Math Studies, Highlighting Diverse Mathematicians, Integrating Math through Art and Music

krismcw27 — 2025-10-17 20:58:55 UTC

Strategy 1: I use books and stories that incorporate math concepts and diverse cultural perspectives. For example, pairing Cinder's problem-solving themes with books like Grandpa Cools Math Tricks by Tony Stead introduces students to math in different cultural contexts (Banks & Banks, 2020)

Strategy 2: I present math case studies from around the world. For example, exploring angles and how they can be found in everyday architecture. Let the students explore how math can be found throughout the world (Gay, 2018).

Strategy 3: I spotlight mathematicians from diverse backgrounds, such as Katherine Johnson or Srinivasa Ramanujuan, to challenge stereotypes and inspire students (Ladson-Billings, 2014).

Strategy 4: I integrate cultural art and music into math lessons. For instance, students analyze how musicians have to understand different notes and how they can appear on the paper for them to play said music (Banks & Banks, 2020)

Differentiated Math Problems, Real-World Examples, Flexible Grouping for Collaborative Problem Solving, Math Notebooks Reflections

krismcw27 — 2025-10-17 21:50:09 UTC

Strategy 1: I design math problems that reflect students' cultural backgrounds. For example, word problems can involve family traditions or local community events, making the math more relevant (Gay, 2018).

Strategy 2: I use examples from our community. Calculating costs for the local fair at one of our parks, or calculating how much a ticket for a local sporting game may cost. Allowing students to see math in everyday life will help them along the way (Hammond, 2015).

Strategy 3: I group students strategically to encourage cross-cultural collaboration in math tasks, fostering teamwork, discussions, and multiple approaches to problem solving (Hammond, 2015).

Strategy 4: Students maintain their math notebooks to reflect on how they solved problems and how their cultural perspective influenced their approach. This strengthens engagement and critical thinking (Gay, 2018).

Math Displays in Classroom, Celebrating Math Across Cultures, Language Inclusivity in Math, Establishing Respectful Norms

krismcw27 — 2025-10-18 00:59:09 UTC

Strategy 1: I display students' work and cultural math significants in my classroom (i.e., pictures with triangles and other shapes) to create a sense of belonging and to spark curiosity (Villegas & Lucas, 2007).

Strategy 2: I highlight mathematical concepts from different cultures, showing them that there are many ways to solve a problem and to hopefully get the students more into math (Banks & Banks, 2020).

Strategy 3: I include multilingual math labels and terms, with help from my GRIC Advisor, to respect students' home languages while teaching concepts (Villegas & Lucas, 2007).

Strategy 4: I co-create classroom norms emphasizing collaboration, respect, and curiosity. Students need to learn to ask questions and listen to different problem-solving approaches (Nieto & Bode, 2021).

Family Math Projects, Family Math Workshops, Careers in the Mathematics Field, Community or School-Wide Projects

krismcw27 — 2025-10-18 04:00:29 UTC

Strategy 1: Both my students and their families can create projects showing math in their cultural traditions, such as measuring ingredients for a family recipe (Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzales, 1992).

Strategy 2: I encourage and support both students and their families in the learning of math at home and connecting math to real-world cultural contexts (Epstein, 2018).

Strategy 3: I talk with students about their interests after school and what they want to be when they grow up. I show them how much math would be in that career field (Ladson-Billings, 2014).

Strategy 4: I get together with my students to organize a community or school project where students can analyze math in a real-world setting and to encourage cultural awareness (Banks & Banks, 2020).