Slide decks, recorded presentations, posters, and related materials produced by faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Mississippi State University's College of Education.
-
Drawing a Positive Mathematics Identity: Portrait of a Maths Person
Liza Bondurant and Liesl McConchie
In this poster we’ll share a powerful classroom activity we designed that aims to broaden students’ definition of what a maths person looks like. We implemented this activity with Black and Latinx middle school students. We noticed a significant difference in students’ portraits with a simple intervention, exposing students to mathematicians from cultures who have historically been marginalized from maths spaces, specifically Black and Latinx mathematicians. These findings suggest that being introduced to mathematicians of color can help broaden students’ perceptions of who belongs in maths spaces and support students’ development of the confidence and skills they need to succeed in maths class and beyond.
-
Embodied Noticing in Mathematics: Pre-service Teachers’ Observations and Noticings
Jonathan Troup, Liza Bondurant, Claudia Bertolone-Smith, Diana Moss, and Hortensia Soto
-
Engaging Preservice Elementary Teachers in Statistical Investigations of Systemic Racism in School Discipline Data
Liza Bondurant, Anthony Fernandes, Ksenija Simić-Muller, and Travis Weiland
In this poster, we share preservice elementary teachers' (PSTs') initial noticings during exploratory data analysis of materials focused on developing content knowledge of statistics as well as normalizing conversations of race in math class. The content covered is typically included in college-level introduction to statistics courses. We summarize PSTs' noticings and wonderings of an interactive data dashboard presenting racial disparities in school discipline.
-
Examining Curriculum Requirements of Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Programs to Gauge Educator Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Education Frameworks
Laura Grace King
Statistics show that many pre-K–12 students in the United States are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or potentially traumatic events (PTEs), and a growing body of literature points to these childhood experiences harming children’s academic functioning and future educational attainment. A review of the literature on trauma-informed education (i.e., curriculum and programs designed to mitigate the negative effects of trauma) highlights many teachers’ lack of confidence in combatting issues within student populations affected by adversity and trauma; the research also indicated that teachers with knowledge of trauma/adversity and its implications are crucial to effectively educating at-risk children and adolescents. The current study examines teacher education curricula at 119 postsecondary institutions accredited by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to identify existing course requirements that fit each of four dimensions of many trauma-informed education programs: Adversity and Resilience, Human/Child Development, Child/Educational Psychology, and Human/Cultural Diversity. Primary and secondary education majors were examined separately for inclusion of these dimensions and compared. Results show that only one of the 119 universities’ primary education programs required courses in Adversity and Resilience; none were required among the secondary education programs. At least one course in Human/Child Development was required by 52% of primary education programs and 46% of secondary education programs; Child/Educational Psychology by 55% and 51%, respectively; and Human/Cultural Diversity by 57% and 50%, respectively. This examination forms part of an ongoing evaluation of teacher education standards and educator preparedness to implement trauma-informed education interventions. Results suggest a need for additional training and professional development for educators, especially given the prevalence of child traumatic stress and the growing number of policies and initiatives promoting trauma-sensitive schools.
