Mathematics as "Gate-Keeper" (?): Three Theoretical Perspectives that Aim Toward Empowering All Children With a Key to the Gate

By David Stinson. The Mathematics Educator, 2015

129 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In this article, the author’s intent is to begin a conversation centered on the question: How might mathematics educators ensure that gatekeeping mathematics becomes an inclusive instrument for empowerment rather than an exclusive instrument for stratification? In the first part of the discussion, the author provides a historical perspective of the concept of “gatekeeper” in mathematics education. After substantiating mathematics as a gatekeeper, the author proceeds to provide a definition of empowering mathematics within a Freirian frame, and describes three theoretical perspectives of mathematics education that aim toward empowering all children with a key to the gate: the situated perspective, the culturally relevant perspective, and the critical perspective. Last, within a Foucauldian frame, the author concludes the article by asking the reader to think differently.

Subfields: Education, Statistics and Probability

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/8b8e4322da72be80ccc281a623b6848deecf38bd

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Education

1. David Stinson
2. Rochelle Gutiérrez
3. Ebony O. McGee
4. D. Martin
5. Niral Shah
6. Luis A. Leyva
7. Dan Battey

Citations in the corpus

• Negotiating the "White Male Math Myth": African American Male Students and Success in School Mathematics (2013, background): “Furthermore, the participants understood the gatekeeping status of mathematics (Stinson, 2004b); that is, the need of success in mathematics for school and academic success in general.”