STUDENT LEADERSHIP, FACULTY MENTORSHIP, CAREER EDUCATION, FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS, & INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY
Our Independent School Teaching Residency (ISTR) Program faculty encouraged us to focus our inquiry projects on our teaching practice. Initially, I perceived this as an obstacle to using my inquiry to engage with the institutions and systemic patterns that align closely with my academic interests as a Sociologist. Consequently, I chose "what happens when I center identity in a mathematics classroom?" as an inquiry question to adhere to my faculty mentors' requests. However, I was thinking of ways to use that question as an entry to engage with a bigger question: how can I adjust my pedagogy and teaching practices to disrupt some institutional and structural forms of inequity at the classroom level?
A part of that question became piloting a teacher's aid position in my classroom. I started to learn how to best implement the strategy into my classrooms with two student-leaders in particular: Ellie Flynn '20 and Jade Sama '20.
Intentions behind the intervention:
The scheduling and composition of students did not allow for me to have any boys of color as Teacher's Aids this semester. However, I envisioned the teacher's aid role as a platform to provide young boys of color an opportunity to learn about teaching, curriculum development, and teacher-research. This could act as a form of career education that could undoubtedly increase the pipeline of prospective teachers.
The lack of women mathematics educators (of color) at our school heightened the importance of the teacher’s aid proposal’s potential to increase the representation of underrepresented minority students as leaders in our mathematics building, especially.
I was not able to pursue this line of inquiry and capture it within the confines of the parameters for our final paper. However, our work together still enhanced my growth and development as a student-teacher. Explaining to them the intentionality behind the choreography of my classes, activities, and assignments provide another opportunity for me to continue developing as a reflective practitioner. Moreover, I will continue to think through ways that I can foster and facilitate academic leadership – from students with traditionally marginalized identities.
A part of that question became piloting a teacher's aid position in my classroom. I started to learn how to best implement the strategy into my classrooms with two student-leaders in particular: Ellie Flynn '20 and Jade Sama '20.
Intentions behind the intervention:
- Increasing the representations of underrepresented minority students in academic leadership positions- especially STEM classrooms
- Career education for students
- Recruiting more boys of color into the pipeline of prospective educators
- Enhancing the richness of my own learning experience as a student-teacher (teacher education)
- Fostering relationships through faculty mentorship and student liaisons in the classroom
The scheduling and composition of students did not allow for me to have any boys of color as Teacher's Aids this semester. However, I envisioned the teacher's aid role as a platform to provide young boys of color an opportunity to learn about teaching, curriculum development, and teacher-research. This could act as a form of career education that could undoubtedly increase the pipeline of prospective teachers.
The lack of women mathematics educators (of color) at our school heightened the importance of the teacher’s aid proposal’s potential to increase the representation of underrepresented minority students as leaders in our mathematics building, especially.
I was not able to pursue this line of inquiry and capture it within the confines of the parameters for our final paper. However, our work together still enhanced my growth and development as a student-teacher. Explaining to them the intentionality behind the choreography of my classes, activities, and assignments provide another opportunity for me to continue developing as a reflective practitioner. Moreover, I will continue to think through ways that I can foster and facilitate academic leadership – from students with traditionally marginalized identities.