In order to make mathematics more meaningful for traditionally underrepresented students, educators must move away from conventional mathematics instruction. Relying on teacher-directed, whole-group instruction - which calls for students to work individually in textbooks or on worksheets to find a single right answer with paper-and-pencil proficiency - no longer meets the needs of students, especially students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
According to the National Research Council (1989), "educational research offers compelling evidence that students learn mathematics well only when they construct their own mathematical understanding." Learning as knowledge construction is one of the premises upon which mathematics reform is built, and it is reflected in the NCTM Standards that emphazise problem solving, reasoning, mathematical connections, and communication rather than memorization and repetition. These new Standards, applied in the context of the social and cultural life of the learner, are intended to help make mathematics relevant to diverse students.
Reaching All Students With Mathematics (1993) recommends that educators implement the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics to ensure equity and excellence by:
See the Pathways Critical Issue "Providing Hands-On, Minds-On, and Authentic Learning Experiences in Mathematics" for information on promoting engaged learning for all students.
See also Silver, et al. (forthcoming 1995), for further discussion of the new goals and standards for mathematics education and the cognitive and cultural issues related to school mathematics reform. In particular, in a multicultural setting mathematics can be made more meaningful by connecting to students' lives, interests, and cultures.
For materials and resources that support equity in the mathematics classroom, use the keyword "equity" when searching the ENC Resource Finder.
