GENDER EQUITY IN MATH EDUCATION: ABSTRACT ACCEPTED FOR CONFERENCE

The 11th International Conference on Gender and Women's Studies 2024 (GWS2024) was held from July 8th to 10th in Mumbai which was hosted by Wilson College, affiliated with the University of Mumbai, in collaboration with the International Center for Research & Development (ICRD) and Unique Conferences Canada.

Dr Kishore was invited to present work and engage in enlightening discussions and innovative explorations of gender-related issues. The abstract of paper “Feminising mathematics learning at high school level by emphasising verbal-linguistic intelligence: Lesson studies using feminist pedagogy based learning sheets “ related to subtheme ‘Gender equity in education and workplaces’ was shared.

Abstract

Lesson studies were organised with a group of nine girls at risk of failure when the school reopened after two-year shut down due to COVID-19 crisis. The girls (N=25; Age group: 15-17 years) had the on-line maths instruction for grades 8 and 9 and when school re-opened, only nine girls who developed learning gaps in maths reported to the school, the rest decided to take direct board examination. The survey studies on loss of learning due to COVID crisis revealed the maths learning and general education of girls in adolescent period suffered the most due to social isolation and inadequacy of on-line instruction and unsuitability for supportive and remedial learning. Since there group was small, needs-based and girls-friendly learning sheets emphasising language of maths (listening, speaking and reading of maths), visual math literacy and reciting maths formula with pauses by relating operational symbols to verbs and term-symbols to nouns was taken up through designed learning sheets. Seventeen topics transacted in 20 hours spread over one month made girls confident to tackle objective and short answers type questions and get reasonable the word problems as articulated by them. All nine girls passed the dreaded math examination. Conclusion is that non-competitive or supportive group learning and learning sheets designed to promote verbal-linguistic intelligence make maths learning female friendly

Keyword: Feminist pedagogy, gender equity, group learning, language of maths, social pedagogy, verbal-linguistic intelligence,