An Asset-Orientation is Everything: How Strengths-Based Approaches to Math Teaching Help Teachers and Students
Ilana Horn, Vanderbilt University
March 29, 2017
This presentation was co-hosted by CSME and the College of Education
View the video, below, or download the presentation files here.
Abstract:
I describe key findings emphasizing the centrality of math teachers bringing an asset-orientation to their work. Teachers with an asset-orientation emphasize the unique strengths and cultural funds of knowledge their students bring to math learning. I review some key findings about the impact of an asset-orientation on student learning. I then extend these to explain why this stance is also critical for mathematics teachers’ learning as they strive to improve their practice.
Ilana Seidel Horn is Professor of Mathematics Education at Vanderbilt University. She uses interpretive methods to study secondary mathematics teachers’ learning, seeking to improve education for students and supports for teachers, particularly in urban schools. Her current research project investigates mid-career mathematics teachers’ learning in a rich professional development program.
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