Strengthening Partnerships through Family Math Nights

Abstract

Collaboration is central to impacting mathematics teaching and learning. As a university mathematics education professor (the first author) and a graduate student in mathematics education and former high school mathematics teacher (the second author), we have initiated partnerships with urban and rural middle schools, families, and preservice teachers during the past five years, using Family Math Nights (FMNs) as the vehicle for collaboration. FMNs are events that usually take place in school gyms, libraries, or cafeterias to promote awareness and inspire interest in K-12 mathematics education. The events are highly interactive, with stations that allow both adults and students to interact with teachers to better understand what inquiry and best practices in mathematics look like. The approach that we facilitated is quite different from the typical approach to designing and implementing FMNs.