Abstract:

Challenging taken-for-granted beliefs and guiding students to be independent in decoding problems, and asking critical questions about the world are the responsibilities of any effective teacher. This study employs critical mathematics perspectives to investigate high school teachers’ experiences using big data sources to teach mathematics for sustainable development. The study was conducted with six high school (Grade 6-9) teachers in Moncton, Canada, who were engaged in Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) in creating and implementing mathematics tasks using Big data sources. Although data collection for this study is ongoing, we anticipate completing the data collection process and presenting the findings at this conference. For this conference, we will share key results from the study that emanate from teachers’ experiences collated through teacher reflective journals and individual/focus group interviews. Building teacher capacity on pedagogical strategies for teaching sustainability issues through mathematics is a response to developing 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, ethics and social responsibility among high school students. The study is significant in that teachers exploring actual data from the UN databases and other credible Big data sources increase their understanding of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while applying more profound mathematical concepts. Providing contexts for understanding issues of sustainability makes mathematics learning more “purposeful, interesting, and engaging” (Pourdavood & Yan, 2022), thereby contributing to students' foundational understanding of mathematics and establishing the literacy skills that are key to the development of critical consciousness (Frankenstein, 1983).

Keywords:

Sustainable Development, Critical Mathematics Perspectives, High School Teachers, Big Data, Data literacy.