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Considering Both Academic and Social Domains: Increasing Student Engagement in At-Risk Classrooms

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Teaching and Learning Secondary School Mathematics

Part of the book series: Advances in Mathematics Education ((AME))

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Abstract

This chapter describes the teaching practices that three mathematics teachers in at-risk contexts used to increase student engagement and enhance student learning. Qualitative data were collected in the form of teacher interviews, classroom observations and teacher journals. Findings show that these teachers considered aspects of both social (e.g., creating a classroom community and developing a teacher-student relationship) and academic (e.g., using technology, manipulatives, group work and student-centered activities) domains of student engagement in their teaching, but to varying degrees and with different emphases. All teachers noted that these strategies also appeal to their students’ characteristics as early adolescents.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See McDougall and Ferguson (Part II this volume, para. 1) for a discussion of two of the possible Ontario pathways (Academic and Applied).

  2. 2.

    In the following sections, participant quotes are referred to by participant name and the interview number (e.g., B1: Benjamin, interview 1).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Limin Jao

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  1. Limin Jao
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Correspondence to Limin Jao .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

    Ann Kajander

  2. Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Jennifer Holm

  3. College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Egan J Chernoff

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Jao, L. (2018). Considering Both Academic and Social Domains: Increasing Student Engagement in At-Risk Classrooms. In: Kajander, A., Holm, J., Chernoff, E. (eds) Teaching and Learning Secondary School Mathematics. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92390-1_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92390-1_25

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92389-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92390-1

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