Latinx children and culturally relevant fractions lessons
Location
PARB 127 (First Floor)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
In this presentation, a Latinx pre-service teacher (PST) and her mathematics method professor, share their experiences teaching culturally relevant math lessons to Latinx children. The authors created culturally relevant lessons considering the needs and interests of the Latinx children in the study. Also, the PST taught those lessons in English, Spanish, or a mix of both languages to small groups of Latinx children from urban schools in the greater Atlanta area.
The number of Latinx students is growing in our elementary schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 50.7 million students enrolled in US schools in 2017, and 27% of those were Latinx (NCES, 2020). Yet today their success, especially in mathematics, is not on par with the success of White or African American children (Lopez et al., 2007; Tellez, Moschkovich, and Civil, 2011).
At the end of the intervention most of the Latinx children understanding of fractions grew, they showed they liked this math class, showed engagement and excitement, and claimed the use of language was helpful to them and possibly their families. Overall, the results were positive. The authors will go in detail over those providing examples of the children success and comments.
Keywords
mathematics, culturally relevant teaching, fractions, Latinx children
Professional Bio
Paula Guerra is a Mathematics Education Professor at KSU. She earned her doctorate in 2011 from Arizona State University. Her research interests include teaching math for social justice, teaching math to Latinx populations, specially girls, and the experiences Latinx pre service teachers have during their teacher preparation programs. Brittany Aguilar is an elementary pre service teacher, attending KSU. She was awarded a KSU Undergraduate Research Program award during Summer 2022, that aided her in completing this study. She is passionate about education, and interested in teaching Latinx children in GA.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Guerra Lombardi, Paula P. and Aguilar, Brittany, "Latinx children and culturally relevant fractions lessons" (2022). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 8.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2022/2022/8
Latinx children and culturally relevant fractions lessons
PARB 127 (First Floor)
In this presentation, a Latinx pre-service teacher (PST) and her mathematics method professor, share their experiences teaching culturally relevant math lessons to Latinx children. The authors created culturally relevant lessons considering the needs and interests of the Latinx children in the study. Also, the PST taught those lessons in English, Spanish, or a mix of both languages to small groups of Latinx children from urban schools in the greater Atlanta area.
The number of Latinx students is growing in our elementary schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 50.7 million students enrolled in US schools in 2017, and 27% of those were Latinx (NCES, 2020). Yet today their success, especially in mathematics, is not on par with the success of White or African American children (Lopez et al., 2007; Tellez, Moschkovich, and Civil, 2011).
At the end of the intervention most of the Latinx children understanding of fractions grew, they showed they liked this math class, showed engagement and excitement, and claimed the use of language was helpful to them and possibly their families. Overall, the results were positive. The authors will go in detail over those providing examples of the children success and comments.
