YOU CAN BE A MATHEMATICIAN Adebisi Agboola Mathematician

YOU CAN BE A MATHEMATICIAN! Adebisi Agboola, Mathematician, Cambridge Graduate Katherine Okikiolu, Mathmetician, Cambridge Graduate Do you love solving problems? Would you like to express your love of math as a teacher? Imagine yourself as a Mathematician! Jonathan David Farley, Mathematician, Harvard Graduate

CLASSROOM DESCRIPTION • Fourth Grade General Math • Large room, all desks set in lines facing the SMART Board. • Urban setting • 1 class per day, each class between 10% African American, the remainder Caucasian students. • 15 girls, 10 boys. • African American is the selected underrepresented group.

LINK TO STANDARDS M. O. CM. 5. 1: Relate mathematical content to its historical development. This is an important standard because students need to know and understand that African American’s and other cultural groups have played a role in the development of Mathematics. Children will be expected to attempt to find the information on the person or group of people who contributed to the skill in which they are learning. If students see that people from their ethnic group contributed to a subject that is used commonly today and will be used forever, it will inspire them to be a part of something big when they grow up.

CULTURALLY COMPETENT TEACHER • This image might motivate African American to try hard on their goals and aim toward being successful in life. If they see that someone from African American decent could be successful, then so can they. • The image gives them role models. Not only men role models, but women as well! The bulletin board will be displayed all year long so students do not forget that they can be successful! • The image helps the African American students in the class to no be embarrassed that they are underrepresented in the school or classroom. They will see that it doesn’t take a group of people for one person to be successful in life. • The images will more than likely give the African American students a sense of relief and accomplishment, because their classmates get to see successful figures from the African American heritage.

IMAGE RESOURCE LIST Adebisi Agboola Image: http: //www. math. buffalo. edu/mad/PEEPS/agboola_adebisi. html Katherine Okikiolu Image: http: //www. math. buffalo. edu/mad/PEEPS/okikiolu_katherine. htm l Jonathon Farley Image: http: //www. math. buffalo. edu/mad/PEEPS/farley_jonathan. html African American Math Teacher Image: http: //hbcubuzz. com/do-black-students-learn-better-from-blackteachers/