Mathematical Outreach

The following sections are included:

• Dedication
• About the Editor
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Introduction

This chapter describes the author’s experiences in different cultures of mathematics education. In particular, it uses the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, an American cultural artifact, and traces its meaning and importance when seen against the background of other cultures.

This chapter builds on the work described in Chapter 6, where the author describes the efforts to crystallize a vision for expanding math circles for students and teachers across the globe to places and people who otherwise might have limited access to high-quality mathematical problem-solving. He describes work in Guatemala, Nepal, México, and Panamá in particular, highlighting lessons learned both professionally and personally. In particular, the chapter describes the ways that culture influences efforts to build communities of problem solvers and suggests that mathematics may have a culture unto itself and that when cultures come together, they are subject to change. The chapter simultaneously serves as an invitation for readers to engage globally to realize more inclusive access to the joy and beauty of mathematics.

A global phenomenon in mathematics education is sweeping the planet. Tens of thousands of teachers, math club and math circle leaders, and outreach specialists are opening their classroom doors to share uplifting, curriculum-connected, mathematics content with millions of students. This is the story of the — still fledgling — Global Math Project.

The International Mathematics Enrichment Project (IMEP) is an international community-engaged learning program to enhance preparation of preservice teachers (PSTs) in the United States and South Africa. It engages PSTs in the collaborative design and delivery of a mathematics enrichment program for children in South Africa. IMEP is characterized by its focus on empowering future teachers through requiring them to take ownership over all aspects of the program’s curriculum development, planning, and instruction. It is also distinguished by its focus on engaging, effective mathematics instruction for learners with diverse cultural backgrounds, languages, and mathematical preparation as well as strongly mentored growth through continuous collaboration, reflection, and pedagogical flexibility. This chapter shares the research findings and important lessons from the initial implementation of IMEP and discusses the potential for the IMEP model of community engagement to enhance mathematics teacher education. Overall, when asked to rate the extent to which their participation in IMEP impacted their development as future teachers in several areas, the PSTs reported positive impacts on their preparation for teaching and confidence in all areas, including collaborative planning and instruction, working across language barriers, differentiating instruction, and teaching learners from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

This book is dedicated to discussing unique and rare outreach efforts that meet a community need, lead to deep engagement in mathematical problem-solving, and inspire future mathematicians. In order to contextualize how unique these efforts are, this chapter will summarize the state of existing Math Circle programs in the US and then look at this in context of one program (the Kittitas Valley Math Circle) that I have spent the last 5 years creating in Central Washington. The discussion of my experience with the Kittitas program will then provide an opportunity to discuss best practices in creating community-responsive outreach programs.

The Alliance of Indigenous Math Circles (AIMC) is devoted to bringing mathematicians and math professionals in direct contact with indigenous students and teachers throughout the United States and abroad in order to improve and strengthen their grasp and attitude toward mathematics. We promote the culture of problem-solving by grafting it onto the various indigenous cultures, thus bringing more indigenous people into STEM fields. We also use mathematics to give all people tools, mindsets and techniques to fashion a successful and fulfilling life regardless of professional occupation. The process of starting our program for a given community involves patience and respectful approach. We operate on a strict principle of only working where we are invited and we are trying to create a real partnership with the communities where we work — sharing in the successes and setbacks, the planning and the execution. The AIMC is a “circle” in its own right, a gathering of those who work to make the discipline and practice of mathematics as diverse and inclusive as possible.

Although many programs have worked to improve the education of underserved students in STEM fields, as a society we remain far from true equity of access. The Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) program works specifically to create realistic pathways for students from low-income and historically marginalized communities to do advanced study in STEM. Beginning in 6th grade, BEAM operates high-level enrichment math programs held during the summers and on weekends. BEAM also provides advising and mentoring for students through college graduation. These programs have shown success helping students to do more advanced work and to find success in college. This chapter discusses the BEAM program and its design. It also presents lessons learned to support other initiatives and individual efforts to advance students’ education.

Two programs aimed at underserved communities reach out to African American girls in Alabama and Mississippi. Mathematics, computational thinking, and coding careers can provide avenues to escape poverty. Young girls in challenging communities can benefit from out-of-school programming during the school year or the summer. Taking students out of their everyday environments allows them a chance to learn, play, and reflect in ways that might not be acceptable from peers in their neighborhood. Our goal is to foster positive attitudes toward STEM and STEM career paths and provide opportunities for young women to interact with role models and mentors.

What are the critical issues that math educators should reflect upon when teaching college-level mathematics in prison? This chapter briefly reviews some conceptual foundations of math pedagogy and the role of education in prison, and looks to the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) to generate a discussion about teaching math in prison. Excerpts from interviews with CPEP math instructors provide concrete examples of how the issues of math pedagogy play out in the prison environment. Specifically, teachers and students report deep frustrations with lack of access to resources and human interaction in the prisons served by CPEP. The instructors describe a commitment to learning mathematics among their incarcerated students, but also note that some students would require two semesters to complete the standard college algebra course. When an alternative math course was offered, more students passed the course during their first semester, but the students also expressed ambivalence about the decision to substitute a non-standard college math course. Implications for justice and equality in mathematics education are discussed.

In this chapter, we narrate the challenges and triumphs of completing an accredited college math course inside a Georgia State Prison. Without the internet, access to calculators, or even consistent high school math histories, we defied the odds and embraced math. Our math journey went from only 1 out of 3 incarcerated students placing into college math to all of us successfully completing a college math course. Prison culture dictates that those who can succeed should climb over those who cannot. However, the college community that has developed within Phillips State Prison — a program called Common Good Atlanta — exercises a familial support system so strong that the advanced students rallied around those who struggled, ensuring a rare 100% success rate. Among this beloved community, there are no fractions. In that collaborative spirit, we co-author this chapter as three students, one professor, and one administrator.

This chapter provides a collection of strategies to implement undergraduate research projects with incarcerated students.

The following sections are included:

• Epilogue
• Index