Teachers who can't skillfully negotiate the politics of language, racism, and testing can't adequately support their students. I will share examples of how all mathematics teaching is political, how teachers can use creative insubordination to be effective advocates for students and enable them to develop robust mathematical understanding and identities.
Rochelle Gutiérrez is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on equity in mathematics education, race/class/language issues in teaching and learning mathematics, effective teacher communities, and the achievement gap. In 2011 the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators awarded her the Excellence in Scholarship Award for her empirical research and theories on equity. She currently is the Principal Investigator on a large NSF grant that explores what it takes to develop high school mathematics teachers who engage their students in rigorous and creative mathematics and are committed to social justice.