A Teacher Resource Linking Math and Social Justice
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MMathathtthathatmmattersatters a teacherteacher resourceresource llinkinginking mmathath aandnd ssocialocial justicejustice by David Stocker CCPA Education Project Printed in a union shop As with many CCPA Education Project publications, Maththatmatters gets to the very root of what education is about: facilitating positive social change. David Stocker’s groundbreaking work provides educators and students with complete and thoughtful lesson plans, designed for grades 6-9, using math to teach about social justice in a way that is both accessible and powerful. We are extremely excited to have had the opportunity to work with David and to help make his materials available to a wider audience. Comments, suggestions and updates to the author are welcome. Dirk Van Stralen has created a design and layout for Maththatmatters that exceeded all expectations, and was a joy to work with throughout this process. To fi nd out more about his work, please contact him at [email protected] or visit http://www3.telus.net/vanstralen/. Many thanks to the Canadian Auto Workers—and their longstanding commitment to public education--whose fi nancial assistance helped make this book a reality. Patricia McAdie, Larry Kuehn, Bernie Froese-Germain, Satu Repo and John McClyment have each contributed signifi cantly to the long publication process. Their advice, support, patience and commitment is always greatly appreciated. The CCPA Education Project would also like to express sincere and ongoing appreciation to its network of research associates and other supporters who so generously give of their time, energy and expertise. Thanks also to the CCPA staff: Melanie Allison, Bruce Campbell, Anskia DeJong, Trish Hennessey, Kerri-Anne Finn, Ed Finn, Melissa Munro, Ellen Russell, Jennie Royer, Tim Scarth, Scott Sinclair and Diane Touchette. About the CCPA Education Project: The CCPA Education Project was established in 1996/97 to monitor corporate intrusion in public education: since that time, the mandate has broadened to include examination of other issues including standardized testing, vouchers and tax credits, user fees and fundraising, education funding, and post-secondary education. In September 2000 the CCPA began publishing the popular quarterly education journal Our Schools / Our Selves (established in 1988). OS/OS continues to be a forum for debates and commentary on a wide variety of education- related topics including: technology in the classroom, commercialism in schools, high stakes testing, curriculum design, women in the trades, education privatization, early childhood education, the school choice movement, safe schools, peace education and inclusive classrooms. About the author: David Stocker lives with his partner Kathy and their new son, Jazz. He has been a teacher for nine years at City View Alternative School in downtown Toronto. Its mission is to deliver a social justice, action-oriented program to grade seven and eight students. About the illustrator: Zenith Chance is a Canadian Chinese designer who loves his Art and Design. He spends days designing sportswear and nights drawing cartoons. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Comments, suggestions and updates to the author welcome: [email protected] © 2006 David Stocker The main aim of education should be to produce competent, caring, loving, and lovable people. Nel Noddings If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children. Mahatma Gandhi Orwell was wrong. It’s not Big Brother we have to fear. It’s Huxley’s Brave New World Wherein the truth drowns In a sea of irrelevance. Paraphrased from Neil Postman I O ★ D Acknowledggements Anthony Azzopardi, in his opening address to a group of math educators commented that one of the L reasons we do mathematics is “to make the invisible visible.” I couldn’t agree more. In the past fi ve years, a number of people have been instrumental in bringing the typically invisible to my attention and patient while we fi gured out just how mathematics could help people enter into important discussions A about social justice issues. In the early days, I am grateful for having met with Don Fraser, Gord Doctorow, John Clarke at OCAP, Pe- 4 ter Rosenthal, and Anna Willats. Greg deGroot-Maggetti, Chris Kubsch, Lynn Strangway, Mary Lou Kes- tell, Gord Perks and Sarah Winterton, Terezia Zoric, Richard Shillington, Linda McQuaig, Tim McCaskell and Charles Poynton all had important things to say, leading me to better and better places. Satu Repo, editor emeritus of Our Schools, Our Selves and Erika Shaker at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alterna- tives have also both been early supporters of my work, and I thank them for the opportunity to have a national voice in Our Schools, Our Selves. Many thanks to the Weisbaums, Sharon, Elli and Harry for so many things, but particularly the generous contribution of their time in the production of the maththatmatters video has meant a great deal to me. Sam Gindin at York University made several donations to the project, both from his extensive resources and his words of wisdom about the need for critical mathematics on the maththatmatters video. It has been heartening to meet so many teachers and teacher candidates from around the province who have been so actively engaged during my workshops on the book. The comments and suggestions of many of those participants have inevitably shaped my ideas as the book was being written. It was encouraging to meet so many mathematicians at the CMESG working group on Peace and Mathemat- ics. Sandy Dawson and Arthur Powell were skilled facilitators and Doug Franks, Francisco Kibedi, Dave Wagner, Peter Brouwer, Peter Taylor, Geoff Roulet, Stewart Craven, Joel Yan, Ann Kajander and Ralph Mason were then and in some cases continue to be a source of encouragement. Thanks to friends at OISE, Kathy Bickmore, Margaret Wells, Ron Lancaster, John Duwyn, Cathi Gibson-Gates, Nancy Steele and Bev Caswell. Zen Chance was kind enough to donate his time and energy to the task of illustrating each of the fi fty lessons, and didn’t give up on me as I pestered him throughout the year. mathtthathatmatters Being surrounded with supportive friends and family has its benefi ts. For their thoughtful contributions I’d like to thank Sam Zomparelli, Bryce Hartnell, JuJay Djang, Lisa and Denise Hansen, Ryan Andersen, Sarah Evis and Bob and Valerie Witterick. Antonino Giambrone, Anne McKenna, Colleen Costa, Nancy Steele, Biljana Svilaric and Maria Pasquino are the most exciting people to go to work with each day and a constant source of feedback and encouragement. Kevin Stocker and Helen Koutoumanos have shared their thoughts with me along the way, as well as the occasional osteopathic treatment and several fi ne meals. Many thanks to my parents Bob and Diane. Their child-raising laid the foundation for my interest in social justice. Two special thanks are in order. The students of City View, past and present, have “It takes small things like a math always cheered me on with their questions and comments. The attention they’ve book to make big changes.” given to the lessons we’ve piloted in class is evidence to me that 13 and 14 year olds are up for a challenge and will give back far more than you’d expect if you let them. Xochil They are my hope that the world will change for the better. My partner Kathy has been an unending source of support to me throughout the past fi ve years. Her careful attention to so many aspects of the book, the editing and students sppeak formatting, the creative work with the quotations, the development of the work- shop and covering off my responsibilities as I was away running them, have made maththatmatters undeniably richer. But this book emerged both directly and indirectly out of our day to day discussions about the world, which always push me to think more carefully and in ways I’ve never considered. I watch as she talks eloquently and with conviction about my work to others and am reminded again and again how very lucky I am to have met this woman and to have her in my life. for kathy and jazz I ★ 5 iintroductionntroduction contents Introduction 10 Lessons Overview 19 Lesson Descriptions 21 1 Super Size-It? Really? 27 2 Get Tough On Youth? 32 3 Who Runs The Show? 37 4 In The Zone 42 5 None Is Too Many…? 46 6 Pride And Progress 50 7 Roasted 55 8 Side-Lined 59 9 Poor Sport 63 10 Darth Vader Has Arrived 67 11 Some ‘Fare’ Better Than Others 71 12 War Within 76 13 Disabled By Prejudice 80 14 Too Close For Comfort 83 15 Our Home And Native Land? 86 16 Larger Than Life 91 17 Do You Have Confi dence In Those Results? 95 18 The Weekend’s Here 98 19 Is Justice Blind? 103 20 Driving While Black 106 21 Making A Killing 111 22 Correlated Or Causal? 115 23 Rule Of Thumb 119 24 Kidfl uence 123 25 Linked, Organized, Informed 127 26 Going For Probable Silver 131 27 Welcome To The Club 135 28 What Big Feet You Have… 140 29 Blunt Force Trauma 144 30 Totally SAP-ped 147 31 What’s A Gerrymander? 151 32 Coming Clean…? 155 33 A Little Goes A Long Way 158 34 The Return Of Tobin Hood 162 35 Buying Your Eyes 166 36 Oink Oink… 169 37 The Winner Takes It All…? 173 38 GATS Terrible!!” 178 39 Breaking The Silence 181 40 Mad 184 41 Media Monopoly 188 42 Sick And Tired 191 43 The Poverty Of Distribution 192 44 Just