Join us at the Nottingham H.S. Courtyard (3100 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY) on June 10, 2023 from Noon-2PM for an Education and Advocacy Event focused on Lead Poisoning Prevention. Sponsored by the Syracuse City School District Office of Family Engagement at Nottingham High School and Syracuse University. Stay tuned for details!
Cultivating math genius.
Since coming across the work of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, I’ve come to understand meaningful math learning in a totally different way. This post captures Dr. Muhammad’s research on “Cultivating Genius” from my perspective as a math education researcher, community-engaged scholar, and professor.
How do you cultivate students’ math genius? Through intentional designs for learning that celebrate students’ identities, that hone students’ skills, the grow students’ intellect, that expand students’ criticality, and that spark joy.
#identity #skills #intellect #criticality #joy #Muhammad2020
Scroll for multi-media resources… Engage with the image gallery, print, fold, and share an illustrated zine, or post the 1 page handout.
Teaching and learning from a culturally and historically responsive literacy framework (Muhammad, 2020) means developing students’ identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy. Check out this 1 page visualization of these layered pursuits from Dr. Fonger’s orientation toward meaningful math learning and teaching.
Zines are mini-magazines about a topic. Print out this zine at 100% scale and fold it following these directions in a Video (How to fold a zine by Prof. Fonger) or Illustrated Guide by Ashley Topacio (You Print Zine). Share this zine with others and inspire creativity in education!
How do you cultivate students’ math genius? Reach out!
Dr. Nicole L. Fonger
Resources
Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for culturally and historically responsive literacy. Scholastic.
A Sense of Place.
What do Food Justice and Highway 81 in Syracuse have to do with math?
“Syracuse Central School District and Syracuse University students, teachers, coaches, researchers, and other education stakeholders came together at Cafe Sankofa of Syracuse’s South Side on May 7, 2022 for “A Sense of Place.”
This community-engaged event was an opportunity for attendees to learn how math is being used to address local issues, such as highway revitalization and food justice.
The event included educational stations, spoken word performances, music, and food.
“A Sense of Place” was organized by the Antiracist Algebra Coalition, which connects Syracuse community members and education stakeholders as a way to explore the intersection of antiracism and students’ success in algebra.
Event sponsors are the Central New York Humanities Corridor, The Engaged Humanities Network, and Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, and Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (The SOURCE).”
A Sense of Place: Using Math to Engage in Our Communities Event
Schedule of Events:
- 12:00 pm
- Kick-off with Music by DJ Dubl6,
- Interactive Stations by Teachers and Students
- Snacks by Food Truck Vendor Oompa Loompyas
- 12:30 pm
- SCSD Student Spoken Word Performances
- Headliner, Local Artist Cedric T. Bolton (aka Blackman Preach) Spoken Word Performance
- 1:00 pm til 2:00 pm
- Ice Cream Cart by Skippy’s
- Hands-On Social Justice Math Activities
- Book giveaway
- Music by DJ Dubl6
The Antiracist Algebra Coalition.
In this post I answer 5 key questions:
- 1. What was the initial process of forming the Antiracist Algebra Coalition like?
- 2. How did my ideas become reality?
- 3. Did you receive support from any of your colleagues or the university?
- 4. What sparked your interest in starting “The Antiracist Algebra Coalition”?
- 5. What are the results of this project?
I wrote this post as response to a Syracuse University student who wanted to learn more a bout the Antiracist Algebra Coalition. I hope you enjoy learning more about this work!
1. What was the initial process of forming the Antiracist Algebra Coalition like?
The initial process involved:
- making clear for myself what my goals were and why I was starting this work
- identifying several folks whom I thought would be interested in collaborating with me
- setting agendas and repeated meetings to continue the conversation and work
To be honest, I also didn’t really know what I was doing at the start. I didn’t have a “playbook” for next steps, and it felt really uncertain and vulnerable. I have since learned that doing community engaged work can be summed up by doing work together, co-creating knowledge, and being in relationship.
Dr. Nicole Fonger on What is Community-Engaged Scholarship (a zine)
2. How did my ideas become reality?
In starting this community-engagement project, it was important to have a clear sense of the topic and scope of the work. I also articulated several driving questions and goals. As the work continued, more stakeholders came into the fold and expanded who was involved.
The sketchnote below provides a visual of this kind of planning and reflection that it took to realize these ideas.
3. Did you receive support from any of your colleagues or the university?
I feel very supported at Syracuse University to engage in community engaged work. While I may not have felt that way at the start, I feel that way now. I believe in the work of community-engaged scholarship, and I now have a network of faculty, students, and community leaders who share that commitment.
Dr. Nicole Fonger on community-engaged work at Syracuse University.
Time. One huge form of support in starting this group was having the flexibility to focus on my research and scholarship through a research leave. This meant I wasn’t responsible for teaching classes during the semester that I was forming the coalition. It takes a huge amount of time to build relationships with community partners. With this research leave I was able to focus on building something new.
Funding. Grant money also supported this work in a very tangible and practical way. Having funds to pay collaborators such as school teachers, district and building coaches, consultants, parents, and other community leaders was important to me. This work was funded through a CUSE Grant “Building Research-Practice Partnerships to Improve Student Outcomes in School Algebra” as well as the Engaged Humanities Mini-Grant “Antiracist Algebra Coalition.”
Relationships. Now that I have been a part of the SU community for over 4 years, I have a network of colleagues who support me along the way. My colleagues encourage me, celebrate my successes, and provide words of wisdom when I meet challenging obstacles.
4. What sparked your interest in starting “The Antiracist Algebra Coalition”?
I’ve done a huge amount of personal growth related on unlearning racism, seeing the ways that inequities is designed into systems that govern our society–including mathematics education–and better understanding my role as a teacher and scholar in making change.
In my learning, I realized that to make impactful change, I needed the support of a larger community of people who had different roles in mathematics education–different stakeholders–if you will. I needed to hear from students, from teachers, from school and district leaders, and from parents. The work of abolition in mathematics education is not an individual person’s responsibility, it’s a collective responsibility of the community.
Dr. Fonger on why she started the Antiracist Algebra Coalition
I’ve included the following arts-based representations of that growth to showcase some of starting points for the coalition.
5. What are the results of this project?
The Antiracist Algebra Coalition is ongoing. It’s currently folded into the work of the Meaningful Math Research Lab that I lead at Syracuse University with undergraduates and graduate student researchers.
Some of the history of the group is captured here:
- In Spring 2022 our work is focused on designing and implementing social justice math units in high school and middle school. We will host an event in May 2022. Stay tuned!
- Fall 2021 Work Sessions were held in October and November and focused on Black Brilliance and Mathematics Coaching
- Spring 2021 was the initial convening of the group to set aims, visions, and foci of our work.
Some of the arts-based products of this group include:
- Zine: What is antiracism? Paper only, available upon request.
- Zine: Are you white? also available as a Paper copy by request
- Zine: That’s so ghetto #microagression also available as a Paper copy by request
- ZIne: How can math be racist? Paper only, available upon request
- Zine: What is community-engaged scholarship also available as a Paper copy by request
- Zine: What is our work? Paper only, available upon request
Some of the written products of the work include:
- A Grant Proposal to the W. T. Grant Foundation focused on Black Brilliance in Algebra
- An article for the Mathematics Teacher Learning and Teaching journal on my journey toward becoming an antiracist math educator
- News briefs on high school math lessons that connect Black History, the 15th Ward, and math
- A journal article on teaching other math teachers how to engage in antiracist math teaching practices
Are you white? (a Zine)
I created this zine “Are you white?” as a reflection on my journey toward becoming an antiracist math educator. In this post I introduce the zine through a video. I also include a PDF for you to download (c) Nicole Fonger (usable under a creative commons license). This work is also featured in a Mathematics Teacher Learning and Teaching journal article (in press February 2022).
If you choose to download and print this zine, see this brief video tutorial for how to fold a zine. Drop a note in the comments below to let me know who you share it with and what you think about this form of creative scholarship.
Please cite this work as Fonger, Nicole L. (2021). “Zine: Are you white?” Accessed https://nicolefonger.com/2022/02/09/are-you-white-a-zine/
Who gets into algebra in 8th grade?
This sketchnote is featured in the Mathematics Teacher Learning and Teaching Journal (in press, February 2022).
Rx. Breathe, nature, self-care.
A student recently visited my office hours in a desolate condition. Complaints about a class, another class, another professor, poured out of their mouth no sooner than tears began streaming down their face. The world as they knew it was crashing in on them. Perseverating on fears, the unknown possibility of a dark future, seemingly unable to be here now…
I found myself calm, attuned, and open-hearted. In listening and observing, I sought to see the student. I sought to provide a mirror, and offered the following “prescription” written on the front and back of an index card:
Practice non-judgement. Notice when your mind perseverates on something — an expectation, a perceived “failure.” Notice when it’s you against yourself in the ring. Yet in noticing, do not judge it. Just allow it to be, and move on. Ah, it is there, my teacher, how interesting. It is not good, it is not bad, it just is. #mindfulness
Notice nature. As you walk out into the world, look around you in nature. Notice. What is happening outside? The changing seasons, the falling of leaves, the preparation for winter, a cool brisk breeze… These are all beautiful reflections of letting go. Changes occurring in the macrocosm all around you on Earth, are also occurring within you as a microcosm. The antidote is always the opposite. Ground into the earth, drink water, find a place to be, just be, without another agenda. #naturewalk
Breathe. Inhale for four counts, exhale for eight counts. Inhale for four counts, exhale for eight counts. Repeat this breath pattern and notice how your parasympathetic nervous system responds and relaxes into a calmer state with the power of the breath grounding you to the now. #breathe
Seek out support. Find another person in each class or group that you can confide in, and work through related difficulties together. Go directly to each of your teachers, mentors, or professors, and explain the trouble you are having. Visit health services and a counseling center. I recommend the “mind spa” which is a quiet room designed to cultivate relaxation, meditation, and a space to just be.
As the student left, he called over his shoulder saying, “I’ll see you next week.” I smiled. Mind you, this student is not on one of my class rosters. Instead, he found himself in my office during one of the prize times each week I hold space for students to be, to converse, to do math, to tell stories (i.e., office hours).
As I reflect on this experience, what stands out the most, is the oneness of human experience. We do such a great job of presenting our selves to the world (most of the time). As of late, these representations of self often come through shiny, filtered lenses and posts that portray the best of us. Yet these portrayals of self and of experience often fail to convey the totality of human experience–including the humanity in suffering.
Each of us has a story, has been stuck, has suffered affliction of one form or another. Our challenge then, remains an opportunity. See one another. Hold space for one another. Be. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are one.
Culturally and historically responsive math tasks.
Here are the most recent iterations of the math tasks we use with youth and young adults. These lessons were collaboratively developed by the Antiracist Algebra Coalition, the Data Warriors, and the Meaningful Math Research Group at Syracuse University.
Social and Environmental Justice Math Tasks
Highway 81, Redlining, and White Flight, Population Trends, Linear Functions
- Spring 2023 Social Justice Math task on Redlining, White Flight, and Linear Modeling used with first year undergraduate students
- Spring 2023 Social Justice Math Task on Highway Revitalization, Redlining, and the 15th Ward used with first year high school students
Lead Poisoning, Environmental Justice, Exponential Decay
- Spring 2023 Environmental Justice Math Task on Lead Poisoning, Exponential Decay, and Social Agency used with first year undergraduate students
- Spring 2023 Environmental Justice Math Task on Lead Poisoning, Exponential Decay, and Social Agency used with first year high school students
Explore more!
We elaborate some of the research on redlining in this zine “That’s so Ghetto #microagression” created by Dr. Fonger in collaboration with the SU office of diversity and inclusion.
In our People, Place, and Population Predictions article we elaborate how we used these lessons with young people, and the design behind the tasks.
We also share visualizations of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius model for historically responsive literacy as the grounding task design framework for Cultivating Math Genius.
We look forward to hearing how you take up these ideas in your own contexts and learn from our work. Reach out!
Evoking Emotion in a Math Lesson.
These below photos and the prompts were curated by Ken Keech, Betty Routhouska, and Nicole Fonger and used in a math lesson and Desmos Activity “Linear Functions and the 15th Ward.” Mr. Keech and Mrs. Routhouska taught this lesson for high school students at Nottingham High School.
The Original Photos of the two couples shown here as sketches (by Fonger) were taken by Richard Breland and published on Syracuse New Times “The way they were: Images of residents from the 15th Ward during thew 1950s.” The quotes and data are published by the Onondaga Historical Association “The Destruction of Syracuse’s 15th Ward.”
Please cite as Keech, K., Routhouska, B., & Fonger, N. L. (2022). “Evoking emotion in a culturally and historically responsive math lesson on linear functions.” Accessed on Today’s Date from https://nicolefonger.com/2022/05/18/evoking-emotion-in-a-math-lesson/
We’d love to hear how you are using these or similar resources to evoke emotion in math lessons. Reach out!
This community engaged research was made possible with support from the Antiracist Algebra Coalition and the Meaningful Math Research Group at Syracuse University, especially students Waleed Raja, Khadija Sharif, Daslin Peña, Emmy Njue, Abigail Erskine, and Stephen Caviness. Funding support for this community-engaged research is from the Humanities Corridor of Central New York, and the following organizations at Syracuse University: the Engaged Communities Network in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Deans office in the School of Education, the Mathematics Department, the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), and the Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grant Program. For more information contact Nicole Fonger at nfonger AT syr DOT edu or http://www.nicolefonger.com @research2practice on Instagram and @nmlfonger on Twitter
Vision Board.
This vision board was created by Ken Keech, Betty Routhouska, and Nicole Fonger with support from the Antiracist Algebra Coalition and the Meaningful Math Research Group at Syracuse University students Waleed Raja, Khadija Sharif, Daslin Peña, Emmy Njue, Abigail Erskine and Mathematics Instructional Coach, Tracy Mosier of the Syracuse City School District Mathematics Department.
This vision board is an adaptation of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy.
Partial funding support for this community-engaged research is from the Humanities Corridor of Central New York, and the following organizations at Syracuse University: the Engaged Communities Network in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Deans Office in the School of Education, the Mathematics Department, the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), and the Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Grant Program.
For more information contact Nicole Fonger via email nfonger AT syr DOT edu or http://www.nicolefonger.com @research2practice on Instagram and @nmlfonger on Twitter
Reflecting on Dysconscious Racism
In this sketchnote I reflect on a teaching experience and how my actions were rooted in dysconscious racism (King, 1991).
This sketchnote is featured in the Mathematics Teacher Learning and Teaching Journal (in press, February 2022).
References:
King, Joyce E. “Dysconscious racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers” The Journal of Negro Education. 60, no. 2 (Spring 1991): 133-146. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2295605
Nicole L. Fonger 