🟣 Dr. Laurie Rubel Profile picture
Oct 4, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read Read on X
I don't know who needs to hear this, but math is about as political as it gets. #takebackmath

here are some examples of what I mean (and h/t to @RG1gal for her lead)
Political decisions are those that involve power and its distribution. When a society decides, for example, to privilege one way of doing things over another, that's a power move. The systems we use, how we teach them, and who gets to decide are all political decisions.
If anything, math is all about power. You want to see people riled up and freaking out? Check out reactions to the Common Core. That's not political? You really think that's passion for subtraction? Come on, please. That's conservative pushback to federal involvement in education
🖐️ #math is regularly used to wield, conserve, and hoard power. Nothing intimidates others like bringing out the math. Haven't we seen great examples of all of that through this COVID crisis?
At same time, our society uses math as its primary sorter. Social hierarchies of ALL KINDS are inherently based on math. Math works like the sorting hat and with significant consequences for people (and ultimately for us all)
I tweeted this earlier this year. The conservative news circuit made a NEWS story about it (this is like the opposite of news, right?) All of this ruckus and how they staunchly defend math as objective might be best evidence #takebackmath

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More from @Laurie_Rubel

Oct 18, 2022
Despite how math curricula tend to present real-world challenges as universal and neutral, representations of reality in these problems are based on
#mathed #mtbos 🧵
particular
though oftentimes implicit
assumptions, social values, and priorities
💰❤️‍🩹 🌎
Q: How well do conventional views of mathematical literacy (and translations of those
visions to curricula) take up girls and women – their experiences, promise, knowledge and ways of knowing?
#Feminism
Read 8 tweets
May 14, 2022
critical thinking (in math)
vs.
critical mathematics

what's the difference? 🧵 #mtbos #mathed #iteachmath
critical thinking:
what do we know and how do we know it?
is this answer right?
does an argument make sense?
do we have enough evidence?
are these data reliable?
are there other interpretations or solutions?
critical mathematics:
how can we use mathematics to reveal or document or analyze various forms of oppression?
how can we use mathematics to transform unjust systems?
how is mathematics used and who benefits from looking at or solving a problem this way? (cont.)
#iteachmath
Read 5 tweets
Feb 24, 2021
i'd like to start a second thread 🧵on the federal direction for states to give standardized testing this spring.

let's call this one FOLLOW THE MONEY.

let's start here, a piece from like 20 years ago that shows you what they call "the big 4"

testing is a for profit and highly profitable INDUSTRY /2

to.pbs.org/37LjNwZ
these are private companies "mining for gold," expect that these are your children, my children, our children, and our schools /3

rethinkingschools.org/special-collec…
Read 6 tweets
Feb 24, 2021
this week's letter from Biden's Dept of Education @usedgov to state ed officers makes a set of statements that I would like to challenge, together with your help 🧵
1) "To be successful once schools have re-opened, we need to understand the impact COVID-19 has had on learning"

This reminds me of math teachers who start the year by giving a test on the 1st day of school, w same type of rationale. 🗯️
Teacher Ed 101, this is a cruel practice. How about we assume that COVID has had a devastating impact and spend our energy and money working to respond to that? We don't need tests to tell us what we already know, or can assume.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 22, 2021
harassment alert #mtbos #iteachmath
I'm with @_CrystalMWatson on this
"there's no racism in mathematics" is quite the stance
Read 10 tweets
Dec 29, 2020
#disrupttexts activism, led by teachers, pertains to school literature. Math ppl might feel like this discussion is tangential to our work as math teachers.

i'm going to try to explain here how this is centrally related to math education, using their principles.
1) "We have been socialized in certain values, attitudes, and beliefs that inform the way we read and teach texts, and the way we interact with our students. How are my biases affecting the way I’m teaching this text and engaging with my students?"

Math teachers, for us too.
2) "Literature study in U.S. largely focuses on White (and male) dominated society, as perpetuated through a traditional, Euro-centric canon. Ask: What voices—authors or characters—are marginalized or missing in our study?"

Replace the words "literature study" with math.
Read 8 tweets

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