ERIC Number: EJ968817
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 20
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1047-8248
EISSN: N/A
Learning Mathematics while Black
Martin, Danny Bernard
Educational Foundations, v26 n1-2 p47-66 Win-Spr 2012
While research by scholars has contributed greatly to an emerging knowledge base on Black children and mathematics, there continues to be a dire need for insightful research that de-centers longstanding accounts that have contributed to the construction of Black children as mathematically illiterate and as less than ideal learners relative to other student groups. Continued research will also help to refine the most promising theoretical and methodological approaches. In this article, the author argues for even greater attention by researchers to understand and document what it means to "learn mathematics while Black." This is not a narrow call meant to suggest that Black children are idiosyncratic in their mathematical behavior and development. This is a call with much richer aims focused on learning and identity, two centrally important considerations in children's mathematical development. Yet, while it is important to discuss the development of Black children as "children", this call echoes the claims of many scholars who have argued that it is equally important to prioritize their development as "Black" children. The author contends that it is a call for understanding mathematics learning, development, and participation among Black children within their "phenomenal Black realities," giving attention to the micro-, meso-, and macro-level forces affecting their lives and utilizing culturally sensitive research methods to account for these forces. (Contains 1 figure and 8 notes.)
Descriptors: African American Students, African American Children, Mathematics Education, Research Methodology, Scholarships, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Achievement, Mathematics, Mathematics Curriculum, Stereotypes, Racial Identification, Racial Relations, Race, Whites, White Students, Comparative Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A