Featured resource: Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching

Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching: A Guide to Disrupting Hierarchies in the Classroom by Daniel Reinholz
Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching: A Guide to Disrupting Hierarchies in the Classroom by Daniel Reinholz

This month's MTEP featured resource is the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Notes volume Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching: A Guide to Disrupting Hierarchies in the Classroom by Daniel Reinholz, San Diego State University mathematics professors. The book provides an extensive toolkit of equitable teaching strategies that are tried and tested in college mathematics classrooms.

Reinholz was recently awarded the MAA's 2024 Annie and John Selden Prize. The award celebrates him for publishing an impressive body of research in undergraduate mathematics education, exemplified by Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching, and for implementing strategies to promote equity in the classroom.

"The moment the book was released into the public, it became clear to me that it has the potential to make an impact in a very different way than writing journal articles," Reinholz told San Diego State University News. "It has been a joy to see how others are using it and how it is opening up conversations around equitable mathematics that otherwise might not arise."

Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching is available for purchase as a hard copy on Amazon. David Bressoud, Macalester College mathematics professor emeritus, provides an overview of the volume in the MAA Launchings column "On Disrupting Hierarchies."

Book description
Teaching college mathematics is a monumental task. Today’s instructors are increasingly asked to do more with less, juggling numerous professional demands while also trying to teach effectively. It’s no wonder that working on our teaching often takes a back seat to more urgent, day-to-day challenges. What if learning to teach better didn’t have to be more work? What if effective practices could make your teaching more equitable and efficient?

Equitable and Engaging Mathematics Teaching provides an extensive toolkit of equitable teaching strategies that are tried and tested in college mathematics classrooms. These practices are brought to life with extensive examples and language that you can use in your own teaching. Whether your style is based primarily in lecture or collaborative group work, there are concrete strategies you can use today.

This book is designed to help you understand the root causes of how and why hierarchies emerge in mathematics classrooms. It discusses common equity issues that have been observed in hundreds of mathematics classrooms across the US, so that you can learn to identify and address these same equity issues that might arise in your classroom. As you take action, not only will you improve student learning, but teaching will become more enjoyable as you see measurable improvements in your classroom.

This book is designed to support your learning with a unique approach grounded in small, incremental changes. These smaller changes make the learning process more manageable, and over time they add up to have a major impact. With guiding questions, end-of-chapter activities, and an entire chapter dedicated to how to enhance your own learning, you will move beyond talking about equity to enacting it in your classroom every day.