Equitable Practices in Mathematics Classrooms: Research-Based Recommendations

Abstract

This paper is based on the Iris M. Carl Equity Address the author delivered at the 2012 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. That invited keynote considered the question of equitable teaching practices in mathematics classrooms for students from non-dominant communities. Although research cannot provide quick answers to this question nor can it provide a recipe for equitable teaching practices, there are research-based recommendations that can guide researchers, teachers, and administrators in developing their own approaches to supporting equitable practices in mathematics classrooms. Several resources are provided for considering this question: a definition of equity, a definition of equitable practices, a framework for organizing research findings relevant to equitable practices, and questions to consider when designing equitable mathematics instruction. This discussion is informed by a sociocultural and situated perspective on mathematical thinking, on language, and on bilingual learners (for details of that framework, see Moschkovich, 2002, 2010).