Who do you think of when you think of a Mathematician? Is it the stereotypical portrayal we have been exposed to in the media of an adult male in a white lab coat? This is the way many of our students describe mathematicians, which is not accurate. It does not represent the many social and cultural identities of past and present mathematicians and excludes students from seeing themselves as capable mathematical thinkers. If we want children to see themselves as mathematicians, we need to disrupt this stereotype and help children to understand that we are all mathematicians.
Being a mathematician involves:
- Using math to solve everyday problems and puzzles
- Understanding the importance of and appreciating the beauty of mathematics
- Recognizing and appreciating multiple mathematical perspectives
- Making informed decisions and contributing fully to their own lives and to today’s competitive global community
- Adapting to changes and synthesizing new ideas
- Working both independently and collaboratively to creatively approach challenges
- Communicating effectively
- Thinking critically and creatively and seeing connections to other disciplines beyond mathematics (from Ontario Elementary Mathematics Curriculum Context)
What can you do at home?
- Have discussions about the different ways people use math in their everyday lives and in their jobs
- Offer children opportunities to solve problems and puzzles, make math-related choices, and explain their thinking
- Share stories about mathematicians with various social and cultural identities, such as:
- Counting on Katherine, How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker
- Maryam’s Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani by Megan Reid
- Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton
- The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague by Julia Finley Mosca
Department