Explore resources and projects that relate to the work of the Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics.
Deep and Rigorous Mathematics
Deborah Schifter and Susan Jo Russell have collaborated on many projects, often with other educators, and always involving partnerships with classroom teachers. Their most recent book, Interweaving Equitable Participation and Deep Mathematics, is a text and video resource focused on teaching deep and challenging mathematics while also centering equitable participation for all students. Previous books include But Why Does It Work?, which explores how to integrate mathematical argument into elementary math instruction, and Connecting Arithmetic to Algebra, which illustrates how investigating the behavior of whole number operations can move K–6 students forward. They also produced the professional development series, Developing Mathematical Ideas, designed to help teachers think through the major ideas of K–8 mathematics and examine how children develop those ideas, mathematically.
Setting Up High-Impact Tasks in Elementary School Math Centers
In this Edutopia article, Polly Wagner and Janice Szymaszek explain how, “when we rethink the role of the teacher, the kinds of mathematically rich tasks we offer, and the way in which we group students, math workshop can become integral to the creation of equitable math classrooms and be a place for students to develop strong habits of mind alongside math competencies.” (5/24/24)
Storytelling Math
Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Read an article about the project and explore more information about the books.
View the Storytelling Math presentation from our Speaker Series. (11/8/2023)
Moving Beyond Status in Math Class
In this Edutopia article, Janamarie Sunkle and Polly Wagner explain how “focusing on ideas rather than individual students…can move [math teachers] beyond assumptions that some kids are ‘good’ at math.” (7/24/23)
Collaborating on Equitable Teaching Practices in Math
In this Edutopia article, Marta Garcia (of The Forum) and Polly Wagner discuss how coaches “can create opportunities for teams of teachers to examine and understand beliefs and practices that prohibit students from engaging in ambitious work due to labels that underscore race, poverty, language, and status in general as barriers.” (8/23/21)
[N]ot only do their picture books in the ‘Storytelling Math’ series really show math-related concepts in wonderful contexts, but they reach out and find authors and artists from a wide range of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.”