The Importance of Building a Sense of Belonging in Mathematics

The celebration of Black History month is an opportunity to focus on the theme of belonging. A strong sense of belonging, connection, and empowerment built on students’ strengths and interests is essential for all students. As Dr. Robert Q. Berry III, past president of NCTM, reminds us, being intentional about building students' sense of belonging can create a more inclusive and supportive math classroom environment. “Teachers are not just teachers; they are identity builders. Create a common space for learning so students can develop the competency where all believe they can be smart and doers of mathematics” (Berry, 2017). This idea of students seeing themselves as “doers of math” is so foundational that it forms the cornerstone of belonging within the Oregon Math Project.

How we teach math can help build connection and belonging, and support students to envision themselves succeeding in math. According to the PEW Research Center’s report on Black Americans’ views of STEM opportunities, a majority of Black Americans believe that better representation in examples used in math and science classes would help to build opportunity for Black youth in STEM. In addition, a large percentage of Black Americans surveyed perceive engineering and other STEM fields as unwelcoming, indicating a need for systemic change that goes beyond representation. The Edutopia article Making Math Classes More Welcoming for Black Students, Lateefah Id-Deen writes that “Black students often receive messages, explicitly and/or implicitly, that they do not belong in their mathematics classes.” 

Two resources were shared at February’s virtual Oregon Math Leaders meeting that connect to this theme of belonging: Our Math Roots, a set of ethnomathematics lessons designed by high school students, and Advancing Equity & Strengthening Teaching through Elementary Math Modeling. 

Belonging is an important aspect of the classroom at all times and grade levels. How do you build a sense of belonging for students in your classroom? Send us an email to share!

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

Survey to Inform the Oregon Multilingual Learner State Strategic Plan

This is an exciting year as ODE develops the new Multilingual Learner State Strategic Plan! The development of the plan includes input from a variety of constituents through workgroup sessions, community focus groups, conference sessions and surveys. 

The Oregon Department of Education invites school, district, and Education Service District educators, administrators, and staff to participate in a survey to share feedback on the draft plan and to share about the services provided to multilingual students. Your participation is voluntary, confidential, and will contribute to improving services and experiences for multilingual children. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and is best completed on a laptop or desktop computer. 

Join us in shaping a statewide plan for improving education for multilingual students in Oregon!

Please email Manuel Vazquez or Jennifer Fontana with any questions.

Photo by Thomas Lefebvre on Unsplash

Oregon Open Learning Featured Resource  

ODE features two resources this month on Oregon Open Learning Hub, in honor of Black History Month, The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History Month provides valuable advice on how to approach Black History in any classroom throughout the year from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In addition, ODE has now posted two high school blueprints for teaching “Plus One” courses in the Quantitative Reasoning Math Pathway: Financial Algebra, developed by educators from Lincoln County School District and the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, and Mathematical Modeling and Reasoning, developed by teachers from Wallowa County Education Service District and Greater Oregon STEM Hub.

e² Instructional Practice Framework 

The e² Instructional Practice Framework is a new instructional practice framework from Student Achievement Partners that aims to improve educational experiences and outcomes for K-12 students. The framework helps educators design instruction that leverages assets and honors the brilliance of historically underserved and marginalized students. The framework emphasizes essential grade-level mathematics and literacy content with an intentional focus on fostering instruction that creates belonging, agency, and strong identities as learners. 

Content experts from Student Achievement Partners will dive into the connection between the newly released e² (Essential x Equitable) Learning Walk Tool™ and their Instructional Practice Guide (IPG). The “Upgrading the IPG: The new e² Learning Walk Tool™” webinar will take place on Thursday February 29, 2024, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT, and will focus on the relationship between the two tools, exploring how the e² Learning Walk Tool™ expands the IPG's focus of what it means for instruction to be high-quality. Registration is now open. 

K-5 Quarterly Newsletter 

ODE’s Office of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is launching a new quarterly newsletter for K-5 educators. This newsletter will provide resources, opportunities, guidance, and ODE updates tailored specifically to support the integrated and well-rounded instruction that elementary education entails. It aims to streamline information related to K-5 academic standards and instruction into one convenient communication. Sign up for the newsletter today!