#DisruptMaths�My words reflect my own viewpoints

Disrupt this presentation if you wish

Benjamin Dickman� Mathematics Teacher | TMCNYC19 

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Incomplete Definition and Clarification

• [what I mean by] disrupting is

interrupting an oppressive system in a way that you believe will reduce, minimize, or avoid perpetuating harm [especially to vulnerable populations]

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• [what I mean by] disrupting is not [in and of itself]

a curriculum

a panacea or cure-all

a complete pedagogy

a tool to engage in bothsidesism

comfortable, pleasant, or theoretical

a way to shut down and quickly move on

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History [1 of 2]

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#DisruptTexts

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• Hashtag created 5-2-18
• Original tweet link
• Inspired but not affiliated

= give credit not blame

• Creators: @juliaerin80;

@nenagerman; @triciaebarvia;

@TchKimPossible

• Please check out the

#DisruptTexts hashtag and

the #DisruptTexts website:

disrupttexts.org

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History [2 of 2]

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#DisruptMath

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• Marian Dingle’s TMC keynote
• Original tweet link
• Marian Dingle’s blog post
• I am personally advocating for

#DisruptMaths to counter

narratives around a singular

form of ‘math’ and for parity

with Texts, but this is not a

presentation on hashtags

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Selected Considerations*

• Gun Violence

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Immigration Law

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Partisan Gerrymandering

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Debt Forgiveness

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Climate Crisis

Is mathematics relevant?

• Reparations Considerations

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Voting Security

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Tax Rates

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Criminal Justice Reform

Is mathematics relevant?

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• Domestic Terrorism

Is mathematics relevant?

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Broader Context

• 2016 Presidential Election

The sitting president is a racist and a pathological liar whose rhetorical violence begets physical violence; whose policies cruelly result in human bodies, including those of children, being caged; and whose election was preceded by a birtherist conspiracy, a recorded admission of using his power to commit acts of sexual violence, and Russian interference in our political/electoral system.

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• 2020 Presidential Election

It appears that the sitting president is seeking re-election.

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• United States Politics, Elections, and Branches of Government

Is mathematics relevant?

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Four Ways to #DisruptMaths

1. Disrupt who does mathematics person

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• Disrupt how mathematics is done process

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• Disrupt what ‘mathematics’ means product

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• Disrupt where mathematics is done place

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Example 1 of N

• What the word ‘mathematics’ means to me:

A non-static collection of cultural activities - ranging from measuring angles to writing opinion pieces - for which underlying themes include, but are not limited to: number, shape, pattern, structure, inference, change, relation, characterization.

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• For whom, if anyone, could this be disruptive?

When is the time, if ever, to share this definition? What difference, if any, is made by viewing mathematics as a dynamic collection of cultural activities rather than [e.g.] a static set of facts about numbers?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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Example 2 of N

• Who does mathematics?

For specific identities [e.g., blind, Black, LGBTQ+, female, Native] and their intersections, here are two sub-questions:

Do you know of mathematicians with these identities?

Do you believe mathematicians with these identities exist?

Proof by Example > Claim of Existence > Ø

Living Proof: Stories of Resilience Along the Mathematical Journey

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• For whom, if anyone, could this be disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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Example 3 of N

• What mathematical activities are not in traditional curricula?

[Selected Considerations] e.g.,

Partisan Gerrymandering?

"Predicting Crime"?

Cake-Cutting?

Braiding Hair?

Scheduling?

Rhyming?

Knitting?

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• For whom, if anyone, could this be disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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Example 4 of N

• What does mathematics look like at your institution?

What are the course sequences, and why?

Do mathematics courses track, accelerate, designate gifted, etc?

If so: Why, and what are demographic features across courses?

How are you thinking about assessments in mathematics?

Can [re]humanizing assessments exist? [Work in progress...]

How do your students feel about mathematics?

Lockhart activity; Su activity

Can you engage students in researching institutional features?

What data can you collect or access? Surveys? Site analytics?

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• For whom, if anyone, could this be disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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Example 5 of N

• What are overt ways to address problematic features? [Covert?]

“... at the end of the Social Justice Working Group that I lead, one of the teachers brought up the taco ribbons: We are in Park City, Utah, whose population is predominantly white, but whose labor force is predominantly Mexican. What does it mean to wear ‘Will Teach Math for Tacos’ ribbons on our name badges?” [Source]

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• For whom, if anyone, was this disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [apparent] disruption?

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Example 6 of N

• Who gets to play and be joyful and creative in mathematics?

Which schools/classes/students/teachers exhibit mathematical joy?

Is this relevant to interrupting oppressive systems?

Is this relevant to discussing gun violence, tax rates, etc?

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• Is mathematical joy/justice

either/or?

both/and?

neither/nor?

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• For whom, if anyone, could this be disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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Challenge 1 of 1

1. person

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• process

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• product

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• place

• Pick one of the four initial frames

What is a way in which you can

sense a problematic feature or an

oppressive system at work within

this frame or multiple frames?

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Bearing the above in mind, how

will you #DisruptMaths this year?

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• For whom, if anyone, will this be disruptive?

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• Where could you situate this [potential] disruption?

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• How might your own identities shape responses from others?

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#DisruptMaths

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Feel free to voice questions, concerns, ideas, etc.

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Please direct further feedback as you wish to:

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benjamindickman@gmail.com

or

@benjamindickman

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+ Mary Catherine Bateson on Dis/continuity

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