Native American-based Mathematics

2019-2020 Info:

Office:
MH-157

Address:
Mathematics Dept. CSUF
Fullerton, CA 92831

Email:
cfunkhouser@fullerton.edu

Phone:
206-300-3322

Collaborators:
Charles Funkhouser PI
Harriet Edwards CoPI
Miles Pfahl CoPI (TMCC)
Patrick Weasel Head
Roberto Wheaton
Michael Little Crow
Shawn Jordan

Activities and Materials Under Development

An overview of the 2019-2020 Academic Year ...

While we will be continuing our original Project Objectives during the coming year, in particular the development, enhancement and dissemination of our culturally-based undergraduate mathematics lessons, our group will engage in newer supplemental goals to enrich and enliven our work. These supplemental objectives are:

1. Intensive Tribal college collaborative efforts developing and integrating site-specific culturally-based materials.

2. Direct instruction and training of undergraduate mathematics instructors in the use of the Project lessons within a teacher workshop model.

3. Wider dissemination of the Project dispositional philosophy to other STEM areas (that is, into the science, technology and engineering content) and other cultural bases (such as, Hispanic Native Americans).

4. Development of the next level of our Project research. In this next step our research will continue to develop, enhance and disseminate our culturally-based undergraduate STEM lessons, but will explore an additional focus into such materials which are founded in Hispanic American Indian traditions--an area of research which organically arose over the course of our earlier explorations, as we partnered with Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) throughout the West and Southwest.As with our earlier Project efforts, these prospective newer research efforts will be submitted to the appropriate division of the National Science Foundation for their continued support.

You will see these supplemental objectives integrated into our Project Activities in the semester-by-semester plan which follows.

Fall 2019

This semester our group at CSUF, TMCC and other sites is continuing enhancements to materials developed during previous years of our NSF TUES Project (see the "Lessons" tab to the left). These enhancements include revisions and updates of earlier lessons, all based in both American Indian culture and current undergraduate mathematics. Additionally, we will continue work on supplemental objectives to more widely collaborate with Tribal and non-Tribal undergraduate instructors in culturally-based STEM education.

Spring 2020

During Spring semester, we will continue development and testing of other culturally-based STEM materials in science, technology and engineering with new site collaborators. Other highlights of our Spring Semester activities will include national presentations of our efforts (including at the Joint Mathematics Meeting of AMS/MAA) and our continued meetings with prospective future leaders to continue our work! These interactions will allow us to reflect on the progress of our work from this year and plan for the years ahead. In particular, we plan to expand our cultural bases for STEM lesson development tailored to underserved undergraduate students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)--a natural given our Western and Southwestern Tribal college, community college, and university partnerships.

Summer 2020

Summer is one of the more active times of the year for our materials development Project research. Semester activities will include: revision and dissemination of new and (and previous) Project STEM lessons by current and former materials development groups; a national presentation of our efforts at the MAA MathFest; gatherings with Tribal college mathematics instructors for training in the use of our materials; continuing collaborations among all Senior Personnel and Project contributors; and further materials development and testing as we look to prospective future research efforts in undergraduate STEM education based in fuller dimensions of American Indian culture.