Interweaving Equitable Participation and Deep Mathematics

While reading this book and watching the videos, I found myself wishing that I had read it when I was a classroom teacher. The authors give readers a window into a learning community of educators as they apply their new sense-making about mathematics to their teaching. While the academic content is mathematics, we are guided through the creation of a community where each learner’s sense of self and agency is strengthened around their own learning.
-- Janice E. Jackson * Newark, CA *
This book is a must-read for math educators across K–12 who want to foster curiosity, meaning making, and collective mathematical agency in our nation’s diverse classrooms. The authors and their teacher-leader partners provide multiple resources that illustrate equitable community-focused instruction where students take charge of and practice essential mathematical skills including representing, conjecturing, and generalizing. Powerful! -- Julia Maria Aguirre * Tacoma, WA *
This resource provides images of teaching that promote student voice and agency in mathematics classrooms. The authors’ creative approach—with video clips, transcripts, and commentaries from collaborating teachers and critical friends—will engage teachers, coaches, and leaders across the professional continuum. The images, mathematical representations, questions, and activities will transform your thinking and practice and ultimately elevate student participation and learning. -- Kathryn B. Chval * Chicago, IL *
I sum up Interweaving Equitable Participation and Deep Mathematics as: Deep Mathematics Content + Community Participation that leads toward equitable engagement, growth, and outcomes. Teachers and leaders can engage in deep professional learning throughout the sections in this book and will reflect on their practices and students’ learning. -- Robert Q. Berry, III * Tucson, AZ *
Central to this book is the valuing and foregrounding of children’s mathematical thinking. Through classroom videos and supporting reflection prompts and activities, the authors show the interplay of providing rich mathematical experiences and focusing on equitable participation. This results in a powerful resource for teachers, teacher educators, and anyone interested in a mathematics education that honors all children’s ideas. -- Marta Civil * Tucson, AZ *
In this exciting book, Russell and Schifter invite us to join their professional learning community to explore teaching that interweaves a commitment to equity and rigorous mathematics. Each chapter offers vivid examples of teachers and students engaged in rich mathematical tasks and deep collaborative conversations in their classrooms. It really is a privilege to reflect alongside these authors. I can’t wait to share this book with my teacher education students. -- Sandra Crespo * East Lansing, MI *
Together with collaborating teachers and critical friends, Russell and Schifter take us into inspirational and real classrooms, revealing the complexities and insights that come with taking students’ intellects seriously and nurturing equitable classroom communities. This book invites rich reflection and entices you to move with urgency and eagerness to develop your mathematics teaching and make real your commitments to racial equity. You will return to it again and again. -- Elham Kazemi * Seattle, WA *
Russell and Schifter have created a remarkable resource for teachers to gather around! The authors have expertly combined rich videos with insightful analysis and thought-provoking questions. Readers will have the best sort of collaborative, empowering opportunities to grow both a deep understanding of mathematics teaching and learning and their capacity to provide equitable instruction to all students. This book is a gift! -- Tracy Johnston Zager * Portland, ME *