Teaching to the Heart: A Grounded Theory Exploration of Elementary Educators’ Journey Toward Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice
The current sociopolitical context of the United States has created a divide among the nation which has transpired into Kindergarten-12th grade public school settings. Throughout the United States school boards of education have banned books and Critical Race Theory while attacking social justice teaching pedagogies. Presently, there is growing empirical research on teaching mathematics for social justice in public elementary schools. This study explored the ways in which public elementary educators experience teaching mathematics for social justice in their classrooms across Southern California. Through qualitative research, this study utilized constructivist grounded theory methodology and methods to gain insight of the various experiences of teachers navigating with a socially just lens in mathematics during a time of social and political turmoil. The findings of this study indicated that although elementary school teachers do not associate their mathematics instruction with teaching mathematics for social justice, they utilize practices that disrupt the traditional mathematics classroom. Recommendations are provided for teachers, community members, and school boards of education.
American Politics, Curriculum and Social Inquiry, Elementary Education, Science and Mathematics Education
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