On "Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice"

Wagner and Stocker trace their interests in social justice back to their family upbringings and life experiences. Stocker was raised up in an Adlerian family in which punishment and reward are replaced by democratic approaches. On the other hand, Wagner was raised up in a Mennonite family (a Christian denomination) but changed drastically after backpacking around the world and saw disparities and injustices. In the conversation, Wagner and Stocker exchanged ideas over what math educators must do with social justice.

Principles of peace and social justice

Stocker describes 3 basic principles regarding peace and social justice:

- non-violent approaches to conflict

- democratic decision-making processes

- the elimination of barriers to social, economic, and political inclusion based on race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion or ability

Wagner negotiates the definition of social justice by pointing that much violence is wrought by people with good intentions, and therefore the elimination of structural barriers as an “ends-based” vision should be practiced with caution as “others would be involved in when addressing violence”. He prefers to focus on processes rather than end goals when integrating social justice in teaching mathematics. Stocker refutes this sentiment by noting that it is “extremely competent” businessmen who are maximizing profit for shareholders without sparing thought for “good intentions”.

Exposing children to the real world

In arguments over whether children should be shielded from exposure to social justice and inequities such as race and gender, Stocker claims that children are potential future makers for the world and it is the teachers’ responsibility to direct the eyes of children to these real world issues. Wagner agrees that children should see the negative and broken aspects of the world but he questions the intention of dragging children into the battle of social injustice. Further, Wagner concerns that it is a subtle form of “social abuse” for teachers to force their political and social agendas onto children. 

Balance of teaching

Wagner discusses the need for balance between teaching actual mathematics and the social justice component to mathematics. Stocker notes that there is no semblance of balance in current curricula, comparing the “balance” to the “balance” between an elephant and a pea. In reality, Stocker is not concerned about the balance, but rather to the many teachers who use the concept of “balance” as an excuse to avoid bringing social justice teaching to the classroom. Wagner and Stocker both agree that perspective teaching must also be included to bring balance to teaching mathematics, and emphasized the importance of the social function of play in learning.

Stop:

It has been a struggle for me to balance these elements of mathematics education in the classroom. On one hand, I want my students to know what their ideal world should be by downplaying the severity of issues around us. On the other hand, I know that some issues such as pollution, poverty, and inequity in education itself will only get worse by ignoring them. According to Wagner, the world is always changing, and a “better world” is an end goal in itself, meaning that people working with good intentions towards this end goal have the ability to cause more damage than they fix. I share the belief that implies that each generation has their own contributions and responsibilities; adults who are interested in social justice should take responsibility to “fix it”. 

When enacting social justice in classrooms, how do you address the question and justify of whose responsibility is it (everyone’s or adults’) to fix these issues and make the world a better place?