“Ewwww… she looks gross. So not natural.” “Her feet are only 3 inches long! How can she walk?” “Her head is way too big for her neck. She looks freaky.” These and many other comments could be heard as students put the finishing touches on their life-sized Barbie. As part of a Project-Based Social Justice Mathematics (PB-SJM) pedagogy, students investigated body image as portrayed by childhood toys by scaling Barbie dolls to their height (Mukhopadhyay, 2014). Students used the concept of ratios, scale factors, measurement, and multiplication of fractions to create their 2-D life size versions of Barbie. This investigation, adapted from Mukhopadhyay (2014), provided students with a visual insight into popular culture’s portrayal of body
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A multiple case study research design will be utilized, with data collected including individual, participant pre- and post-reflections, field notes, formal projects, and individual interviews. This research explores the knowledge bases of Content Knowledge, Community Connections, Critical Inequity, and Change Agency (the 4 C’s) as they emerge from the data, paying particular attention to the how students utilize mathematics to engage in critical inquiry into society. This research aims to enhance the literature on social justice mathematics and project-based learning as it is translated from pedagogy to …show more content…
(1991) have defined this pedagogical practice as: a comprehensive perspective focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation... There are two essential components of projects: They require a question or problem that serves to organize or drive activities; and these activities result in a series of artifacts or products, that culminate in a final product that addresses the driving question. (p. 37)
The Buck Institute for Education (2003) focuses on a standards-based curriculum adding to the definition that PBL is “a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks” (p. 4). Blumenfeld et al. (1991) further clarifies that the learning of knowledge and skills should take place at a depth of understanding not found in traditional classrooms. My definition and practice of PBL centers on students asking authentic, real-world questions that becomes the motivation and underlying force for a project, which incorporates a product that deepens or clarifies learning.
Project-Based Social Justice Mathematics
A multiple case study research design will be utilized, with data collected including individual, participant pre- and post-reflections, field notes, formal projects, and individual interviews. This research explores the knowledge bases of Content Knowledge, Community Connections, Critical Inequity, and Change Agency (the 4 C’s) as they emerge from the data, paying particular attention to the how students utilize mathematics to engage in critical inquiry into society. This research aims to enhance the literature on social justice mathematics and project-based learning as it is translated from pedagogy to …show more content…
(1991) have defined this pedagogical practice as: a comprehensive perspective focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation... There are two essential components of projects: They require a question or problem that serves to organize or drive activities; and these activities result in a series of artifacts or products, that culminate in a final product that addresses the driving question. (p. 37)
The Buck Institute for Education (2003) focuses on a standards-based curriculum adding to the definition that PBL is “a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks” (p. 4). Blumenfeld et al. (1991) further clarifies that the learning of knowledge and skills should take place at a depth of understanding not found in traditional classrooms. My definition and practice of PBL centers on students asking authentic, real-world questions that becomes the motivation and underlying force for a project, which incorporates a product that deepens or clarifies learning.
Project-Based Social Justice Mathematics