Culturally Sustaining Practices for Middle Level Mathematics Educators

This chapter presents culturally sustaining practices (CSP) in a middle school mathematics setting. Successful middle schools focus on five specific attributes that guide decision making. These attributes are that schools provide responsive, challenging, empowering, equitable, and engaging experiences for young adolescents [1] p. 17. Ellerbrock and Vomvoridi-Ivanovic’s publication states three goals for Responsive Middle Level Mathematics Teaching (RMLMT) and suggests teachers use these as a foundation to enhance students’ classroom experiences [2] (See Table 1). Using these two sources, three categories associated with CSP are presented. The first category addresses young adolescent learners’ thinking and includes getting to know individuals’ mathematical identities. Category two examines equity in young adolescent literature as an interdisciplinary framework to enhance learners’ mathematical experiences. Category three, attending to young adolescents’ characteristics, needs, and interests, considers ways to address local and global issues and problems in middle school mathematics classrooms. We are recommending: reflection, literacy integration, and utilization of place-based/problem-based learning as key elements to create culturally sustaining mathematics classrooms. Each of these tools reflects practices that sustain an environment that operationalizes the goals of RMLMT.