Changing the Dialogue: Teaching Ethically Valued Content and Teaching Ethically in the College Classroom

We argue that, to meet student needs, college math instructors, departments, and institutions must accept an ethical duty to provide a transformative learning experience that empowers students through access to mathematics and agency in their education. In this chapter, we share supporting literature, current trends, and examples from our teaching on creating transformative learning spaces and experiences by valuing students’ lived experiences, subsequently building student confidence and agency in mathematics. Additionally, we synthesize the literature regarding critical pedagogy while modeling the use of ethically valued content in the classroom. We tie these practices to “teaching ethically” to build trust and community, open learning spaces to inquiry, attend to equity, combat stereotype threat, and shift from a deficit mindset to an asset mindset about students. Combined with the integration of ethically valued content, teaching ethically gives students the tools to move from looking for answers to appease a teacher or pass a test to looking for questions to empower themselves – including in other aspects of their education – and their communities.