Latina Mothers as Rightful Learners at Home, in Schools, and Their Communities.

Abstract

This study examined how a partnership between elementary teachers and the parents of their students (in this case, mothers) created a space where the teachers and mothers could learn about each other’s mathematical strategies as they related to the mothers’ funds of knowledge and the teachers’ school based strategies. Using the lens of the Rights of the Learner, we report on how the mothers’ experiences of working with the teachers valued the mothers’ right to speak, listen, and be heard, the right to do, and represent only what makes sense to them, and the right to feel safe and have their ideas respected. This qualitative study describes the findings of the mothers’ reflections across the two-year collaboration. Our work illustrates the importance of creating spaces for parents/caregivers to engage in mathematics collaborations with teachers that are grounded in the Rights of the Learner.