Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers

In this new expanded and updated edition of Rethinking Mathematics, more than 50 articles show how to weave social justice issues throughout the mathematics curriculum, as well as how to integrate mathematics into other curricular areas.

Rethinking Mathematics offers teaching ideas, lesson plans, and reflections by practitioners and mathematics educators. This is real-world math math that helps students analyze social problems as they gain essential academic skills.

This book offers hope and guidance for teachers to enliven and strengthen their math teaching. It will deepen students understanding of society and help prepare them to be critical, active participants in a democracy. Blending theory and practice, this is the only resource of its kind.

Who would have thought that math could be taught through such compelling social issues as racial profiling, the war in Iraq, and environmental racism? This superb book is an extraordinary collection of ideas for any teacher who wants to bring passion, engagement, and social justice to the mathematics classroom. --- Lisa Delpit, Felton G. Clark Distinguished Professor of Education, Southern University, Baton Rouge, and author of Multiplication is for White People.

The premise of this book is that mathematics is not just a set of rules and procedures to be memorized and regurgitated, but a relevant set of tools to make sense of the social injustice and power imbalances in our society. Mathematics teachers at any level interested in motivating their students should read this book. --- Thomas A. Romberg, Bascom Professor of Education, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison

From the songs of Sweet Honey in the Rock we know that 'We who believe in freedom cannot rest.' Now from the pages of Rethinking Mathematics we know that 'We who believe in freedom cannot rest' until we ensure that the learning and teaching of school mathematics sings of social justice. We should all learn its new songs. --- Bob Moses, President and Founder of the Algebra Project