Complex Instruction As An Equity Pedagogy.

The Elementary Education Program at UVM has embedded practices across three years of the program that are often separated out and taught as distinctly different parts of educator preparation programs. These practices may be identified as separate techniques for special education students, disabled learners, students whose first language is other than english, females, or other so-called minority populations. By learning how to structure cooperative learning environments in our work with Complex Instruction, you are also learning how to work with these special populations of learners as a regular part of your classroom teaching. That is why CI is now infused across three years of your teacher education. Our work with CI is also considered to be part of our work with the practices of inclusion. The paragraphs cited below show how experts in the field include cooperative learning as a powerful pedagogy for the population of students referred to in their writings. Perhaps you will recognize some of them from readings your have done in your courses over the last few years at UVM.

Many times language-minority children get trapped in a vicious cycle of "remedial" courses. ...Concept learning should not be put on hold while students develop proficiency in English.
She encourages the students to work in small groups or in pairs. The students work together and explain to one another, mostly in Spanish, the steps that are necessary to do the exercise.
It is important to realize that activities with concrete materials are not enough. Students learn not only from experiences with concrete materials but mostly from reflecting on those experiences. Talking about the experience provides the opportunity to reflect.
Mathematical discourse in small groups also promotes cooperation among students and encourages them to take an active role.

Si, Se Puede, "It Can Be Done"
Quality Mathematics In More Than One Language.
by Alfinio Flores

Multicultural and Gender Equity in the Mathematics Classroom. NCTM Yearbook, 1997.

pp 81 ff.

Instruction should include experiences designed to allow students to build on their intuitive understanding, to provide insight into the reasons for the area of study, and to encourage activity versus passivity. Such instruction might involve applications, drawing and constructing models, using visual representations of mathematical concepts, and using technological tools such as calculators and computers (MULTIPLE ABILITIES).
There is evidence that women (and students of color) not only prefer a more collaborative, less competitive atmosphere in the classroom but that they achieve more in that milieu as well.
Successful learning takes place in an atmosphere that enables students to enter empathetically into mathematics through connected knowing. Although not the only methodology to achieve connected teaching, using COLLABORATIVE SMALL GROUPS is one of the best ways to achieve several goals.
Students need to validate their answers and generalizations so that their peers as well as their teacher understand and accept their work.

Creating a Gender-Equitable Multicultural Classroom Using Feminisst Pedgagy.
Judith Jacobs and Joanne Becker

Multicultural and Gender Equity in the Mathematics Classroom. NCTM Yearbook, 1997.

pp 107 ff.

Culturally relevant teaching encourages students to learn collaboratively and expects them to teach each other and take responsibility for each other.
Despite the plethora of programs and activities that have adopted aspects of cooperative learning as instructional strategies, very little real cooperation is taught or required in the classroom. Students may have opportunities for roup work, but what teachers deem cooperative behavior more accurately falls under the category of compliance or conformity. Culturally relevant teaching advocates the kind of cooperation that leads students to believe they cannot be successful without getting help from others or without being helpful to others.

The Dreamkeepers.
Successful Teachers of African American Children.
Gloria Ladson-Billings.

Jossey-Bass, 1994.

pp 70 ff.