Student Voice in Mathematics: A Challenging Yet Essential Balance


Striking a Challenging Yet Essential Balance!

The importance of student voice in mathematics is clear—engaging students in sharing their work and reasoning fosters understanding and builds confidence. However, implementing this effectively is far from simple, especially in classrooms serving high-poverty, Hispanic-majority populations where students often face language barriers and a distorted sense of their STEM identity.

The Language Barrier and Academic Literacy

Research shows that becoming academically proficient in a second language takes 5–7 years on average, longer if students begin schooling in their heritage language and transition later. Many of my students start high school still developing this proficiency, which significantly shapes how they perceive their abilities in core subjects, including STEM.

The Disconnect Between Perception and Performance

Through my work with WA-STELLAR at Central Washington University, I’ve seen how this plays out in math. Despite outperforming peers on standardized measures like the MAP test, many of my students, particularly boys, hold a belief that they are "not good at math." This skewed STEM identity feeds into classroom behaviors, with some students displaying apathy or avoiding engagement to shield themselves from vulnerability.

Balancing Student Voice With Trust and Safety

Creating opportunities for students to share their thinking is crucial, but it can backfire if not handled carefully. Misconceptions presented publicly may reinforce feelings of inadequacy and harm trust. For my students, feeling “stupid” in front of peers is the ultimate fear. Peer dynamics further complicate this—being a “try-hard” often clashes with cultural or social norms, leading to disengagement.


Strategies That Work

In my classroom, I’ve implemented several approaches to foster safe, constructive environments for student voice:

  1. Perfect Practice
    Students bring their work to me for review before sharing with peers. I highlight mistakes and give feedback, followed by stamps or stickers for correctly completed problems. Once they’ve perfected their work, they explain their thinking to peers, reinforcing confidence.

  2. Purposeful Pairing
    I pair students who have mastered the content with those who are still learning, with the latter taking the active role of writing. This pairing ensures accurate work while fostering collaboration.

  3. Engaging Contexts
    Activities like CSI investigations from Clark Creative or scavenger hunts from All Things Algebra provide low-pressure opportunities for discourse, allowing students to collaborate in fun, engaging contexts.

  4. Heritage Language Processing
    Encouraging students to process math in their native Spanish first and code-switch to English promotes deeper engagement. Light music in Spanish further supports this by creating an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere.

A Challenge to Fellow Educators

The question remains: How do we create opportunities for meaningful student voice in mathematics while addressing the barriers of language, identity, and peer dynamics? For students carrying the weight of a skewed STEM identity, our classrooms must become spaces where they rebuild their perceptions and leave with a more positive mathematical mindset.

What strategies have worked for you in building trust and encouraging student discourse? Let’s share ideas and continue striving to meet our students where they are.


The blog above responds to current research and literature on the role of student voice in the classroom, as well as how teachers can address misconceptions and engage with student responses effectively in their teaching practices shown below.

Incorporating student voice in mathematics classrooms is essential for fostering engagement and deeper learning. Research highlights that inviting students to present their work, discuss their reasoning, and address misconceptions can enhance their mathematical understanding. By sequencing discussions around common errors or incomplete reasoning, teachers can turn misconceptions into teachable moments, ensuring students learn from one another's processes and engage critically with the content.

Studies show that this approach encourages active participation and builds a sense of ownership over learning. Teachers play a key role by guiding these discussions strategically, using errors as opportunities to clarify and extend mathematical concepts. This method aligns with frameworks that emphasize formative assessment and the importance of analyzing student thinking in real-time to adapt instruction effectively

"Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All" by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

This framework emphasizes using student errors and misconceptions to guide class discussions, supporting active engagement and deeper conceptual understanding.

Carpenter, T., Franke, M., & Levi, L.

Research on "Cognitively Guided Instruction" shows that discussing students' reasoning—including misconceptions—helps construct meaningful mathematical understanding.

Smith, M., & Stein, M.

Authors of 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions. They emphasize using student responses and sequencing them to highlight key concepts and correct misunderstandings.

Hiebert, J., & Grouws, D. A.

Their research in Journal for Research in Mathematics Education demonstrates that discussing incorrect reasoning fosters deeper student engagement and learning.

Boaler, J.

Work on equitable math teaching emphasizes creating environments where all students can share ideas and learn from errors, as seen in her book Mathematical Mindsets.


The Language Barrier and Academic Literacy

Research indicates that Spanish-speaking students, or English learners (ELs), typically require several years to attain proficiency in academic English. Oral English proficiency usually takes about 3 to 5 years, while academic English proficiency—which is necessary for success in subjects like math and science—takes around 4 to 7 years. This timeline depends on the quality and type of instructional programs offered, as well as individual student factors such as prior exposure to English and educational background​

ERIC

​Center for Education Policy Analysis

Programs like dual-language immersion, which incorporate both the students' native language and English in instruction, show significant long-term benefits. While English immersion programs may lead to quicker initial English acquisition, students in dual-language programs often surpass their peers in English-only settings over time, achieving stronger linguistic and academic outcomes by middle and high school​

Center for Education Policy Analysis

However, gaps in academic achievement between ELs and native English speakers often persist, indicating a need for sustained and intensive language support. Factors such as after-school or summer language programs can help bridge these gaps, ensuring that students have the resources to succeed academically while building English proficiency​

ERIC

​Center for Education Policy Analysis


Location: Moses Lake, WA 98837, USA

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