Brown Bag Seminar: Equitable Mathematics Classrooms - What Do They Look Like and Why Are They So Difficult to Achieve?

In this Brown Bag Seminar, Dr. Jo Boaler will present evidence from research and practice to argue that many students in the United States go down a damaging path in mathematics. According to Boaler, this path affects about half the population and leads to low achievement and poor self-esteem. She will also show a case of equitable teaching and spend some time considering the features of successful mathematics classrooms and the reasons they are so hard to achieve.

Jo Boaler is professor of mathematics education at Stanford University and the editor of the Research Commentary Section of The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME). Former roles have included being the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Sussex, England, a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools, and a lecturer and researcher at King’s College, London. Her PhD won the national award for educational research in the United Kingdom and her book Experiencing School Mathematics won the "Outstanding Book of the Year" award for education in Britain. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), and a former president of the International Organization for Women and Mathematics Education (IOWME). She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation "Early Career Award."

Boaler is the author of seven books and numerous research articles. Her latest books What’s Math Got To Do With It? (2009) published by Penguin, U.S.A. and The Elephant in the Classroom (2010) published by Souvenir Press, U.K., both aim to increase public understanding of the importance of mathematics and the nature of effective teaching approaches in the United States and the United Kingdom.