Kate Le Roux

Innovating mathematics curriculum for equity within an undergraduate ecosystem: Critical reflections on a collaborative journey at the University of Cape Town

Innovating undergraduate mathematics curriculum in a South African context of complex social and education inequities requires that as teachers we ask questions of: What mathematics knowledges are relevant locally, in a globally connected socio-ecological world? Who is seen as a current and future knower and knowledge-maker in the sciences? Who teaches mathematics, and using what teaching and language practices? These are questions that we - a team of teachers with varied mathematics and mathematics education knowledges and identities - navigate in an ongoing curriculum project at the University of Cape Town. Aiming to support the transition of science students into and through undergraduate mathematics, the project attends to micro-level classroom pedagogy and learning resources, located in an ecosystem of science degree programme structures, course models, tutor and lecturer professional development, student advising, and research. The central organising principle of this innovation is creating opportunities for students to learn and use mathematical discourse, learning, and language practices. In this presentation I bring notions of equity (such as access, achievement, power, identity, and design) to critically discuss our practice within our particular undergraduate ecosystem, with the aim of inviting conversation about what might matter in other undergraduate mathematics contexts.