Marta Civil, Ph.D.
Professor, Mathematics Education and Sociocultural Studies
Chair, Roy F. Graesser
Associate Head, Entry-Level Instruction, Department of Mathematics
University of Arizona

In this session, Dr. Marta Civil will present a framework for participation in the mathematics classroom informed by a focus on equity. Drawing on both her own experience as instructor and researcher, as well as a broader view of research into practice, Dr. Civil will illustrate the different components of the framework. Participants will be presented with an argument for how a focus on the richness of cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom can support the participation of students, in particular students whose mathematical voices and ideas often go unnoticed. Participants will engage in a task that exemplifies the importance of cultural and linguistic considerations.

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ABOUT THE PRESENTER

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Marta Civil, Ph.D.

Marta Civil grew up in Barcelona, Spain, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in mathe- matics from Universitat de Barcelona. She moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham- paign originally to pursue her interests in logic, but discovered the field of mathematics education when she became a teaching assistant for a mathematics content course for prospective elemen- tary teachers. She obtained her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education and moved to Tucson, AZ, where she currently is a Professor of Mathematics Education and the Roy F. Graesser Endowed Chair in the Department of Mathematics at The University of Arizona. Her move to Tucson marked her pro- fessional career, as she became involved right away in projects working with schools in primarily Mexican-American neighborhoods. She has over 25 years of experience engaging teachers, chil- dren, and families in mathematics, primarily in working-class, Latinx communities. Her work fo- cuses on cultural, social, and language aspects in the teaching and learning of mathematics, linking in-school and out-of-school mathematics, and parental engagement in mathematics.

She has led several externally funded initiatives that combine research and outreach aimed at de- veloping culturally responsive learning environments. She usually teaches mathematics and math- ematics education courses for preservice and practicing teachers and graduate courses on re- search in mathematics education. In 2013, she received the Iris M. Carl Equity and Leadership Award from TODOS: Mathematics for All, a professional organization that has as its mission to “ad- vocate for equity and high quality mathematics education for all students—in particular, Latina/o students.” She was the Principal Investigator for NSF-funded CEMELA (Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as), an interdisciplinary, multi-university consortium focused on research and practice on the connections between the teaching and learning of mathematics and the cul- tural, social, and linguistic contexts of Latina/o students.

Civil’s research seeks to bring together cognitive and sociocultural approaches with a focus on is- sues of equity in mathematics education. Her work combines an interest in teachers’ and students’ attitudes and understandings of mathematics (a cognitive view), with a well-established program of research that focuses on the experiences of families (mostly of Mexican origin) with mathemat- ics in school and in out-of-school settings (a sociocultural view). Her research agenda is marked by an assets perspective of the communities with whom she works. Ultimately, Civil’s research is about turning language and cultural diversity into educational assets for the mathematics educa- tion of all students. Her focus is on developing in-school mathematics learning experiences that build on the participants’ active participation in their out-of-school experiences. Her projects with Mexican-American mothers emphasize learning from them and engaging in collaborations with them. She is particularly interested in immigrant parents’ views about the teaching and learning of mathematics. A key concept in Civil’s research is that of parents as intellectual resources for their children’s (and their own) mathematics education.