"Women Educating for Peace": A Participatory Video Project

by Dawn Leigh Anderson

A Foundation for Inquiry: Rationale and Purpose of Study

Mathematics, as it is currently and widely
taught, is not equally accessible to girls and
boys and this appears to relate to preferences
of pedagogy. (Boaler 123)

Boaler indicates that "gendered styles of learning" exist in mathematics and that these differential learning styles are influenced by particular mathematical pedagogical practices, namely "traditional" and "progressive" (110–24). Boaler contends that the traditional way that mathematics is taught enhances boys' learning experiences in mathematics and hinders those of girls. She argues that a progressive pedagogy in mathematics teaching might enhance the learning experiences for girls and thereby increase their participation rates, achievement, and enjoyment in mathematics. Applying feminist pedagogy, a type of progressive and/or liberatory pedagogy, to the teaching and learning of mathematics is a relatively new idea with little supporting research.