PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Using primary sources to improve classroom climate and promote shared responsibility
Page: 1291
To address a deteriorating classroom climate at the midpoint of a two-semester upper-division mathematics course sequence, we employed a novel instructor-led intervention: reading a mathematics education manuscript together with students as an invitation to legitimate peripheral participation in scholarly reflection on teaching and learning. This intervention resolved student complaints and promoted the idea of shared responsibility. We propose that reading mathematics education literature with students can be an effective tool for improving the climate of the classroom, and that using the didactical contract in this way can particularly help students claim their share of responsibility for their own learning.