Making Math Accessible to All Students: Effective Pedagogy?

Abstract

Making mathematics accessible to all students depends heavily on teacher beliefs. The belief that all children can do mathematics if they are seen as mathematicians. We do not teach mathematics, we teach mathematicians. The mathematics pedagogical practice I refer to in this article pertains to developing communities of learners who, like mathematicians, work collaboratively to solve problems. The teacher’s role is to orchestrate classroom discussions by creating a conducive climate in which students start thinking, discussing, proving, sharing their ideas to solve problems. In this article I will: explore teacher beliefs on education; outline norms to create a conducive classroom climate for learning; explore the notion of orchestrating classroom discussions, and encourage teachers to design challenging low-floor high-ceiling tasks that allow all students to access. Teacher beliefs resulting in making a pedagogical shift is needed to make math accessible to all.