Speaker Series
Examining Identity, Agency, Positionality and Authority in Mathematics Teaching
Date+Time
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The MƒA Thursday Think Speaker Series brings accomplished speakers who dive into cutting-edge topics in STEM education to MƒA. These talks, held once a month throughout the school year, invite MƒA teachers and the general public to learn and engage with these thought leaders and professionals in mathematics, science, and education.
In this talk, Dr. Robert Berry III unpacks the relationship between mathematics teaching and identity, agency, positionality, and authority. Specifically, this talk focuses on connecting the theoretical lens of equitable mathematics teaching and learning to practical applications. He will use the voices of students and teachers to examine how tasks, discourse, and engagement positions them as mathematically competent. He will unpack mathematical discourse as a framework for connecting mathematics to identity and agency. The discussions of teaching practices that cultivate identity, agency, positionality, and authority are grounded in the work of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
Robert Q. Berry III, Ph.D. is President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the world's largest mathematics education organization. Berry is a Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia, with an appointment in Curriculum Instruction and Special Education. Berry teaches mathematics methods courses in the teacher education program and graduate level mathematics education courses. He is a former middle school teacher and was twice named Teacher of the Year in Virginia.
Berry is the lead developer of an observation instrument, Mathematics Scan, which measures standards-based mathematics teaching practices. Berry has published over 100 publications. His articles have appeared in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Journal of Teacher Education, and the American Educational Research Journal. Berry is a two-time recipient of NCTM’s Linking Research and Practice Publication Award, recognized as the 2011 Mathematics Educator of the Year by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and received the University of Virginia’s All University Teaching Award in 2011. Dr. Berry received his Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University, his master’s degree from Christopher Newport University, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.