(DRUM) Circles Project
TCU Developing Research in Undergraduate Mathematics
WestEd and the American Indian College Fund have partnered to create greater math success for Native students studying at tribal colleges. Through a new project they are empowering mathematics faculty at tribal colleges and universities to conduct their own research and raise student and community awareness of innovative practices in developmental mathematics and math pathways. Rather than depending on a one-size-fits-all algebra sequence, math pathways, such as statistics, quantitative reasoning, STEM, business, are designed to broaden the options and paths for students to take math aligned with their program of study, interest or future goals.
The TCU Developing Research in Undergraduate Mathematics (DRUM) Circles Project recognizes that research in developmental mathematics specifically, and mathematics within the contexts of TCUs broadly, is lacking. This program is creating a community of practice across institutions to support mathematics faculty to conduct research to contribute to mathematics education practices at all TCUs and to inform the undergraduate mathematics field at large.
The project supports four TCU Research Fellows:
Daniel Luecke (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)
Turtle Mountain Community College
“The Indigenous math courses at TMC enable TCU students to see themselves in, and be part of, the Indigenous math curriculum. A teacher education program that emphasizes Indigenous math better prepares them to teach high school math with Indigenous students.”
Daniel Luecke is excited by the opportunity the TCU DRUM Circles project offers to do a retrospective analysis of his work developing the Turtle Mountain College Secondary Math Education bachelor’s program and Indigenous math courses.
He hopes to deepen his understanding of the challenges and opportunities around developing and implementing Indigenous math/STEM education and to help others build similar programs. Luecke’s passion is challenging students to move beyond the assumption that Western math is the norm or better.
He says Western math prioritizes decontextualization by removing relationships to life and community, leading to the common question of, “When am I ever going to use this?” Indigenous math, on the other hand, is embedded with relationships, place, self, community, ancestors, and language.
Heather Bleecker
Salish Kootenai College
“This project is bringing together passionate and experienced TCU mathematics faculty to examine and understand developmental math implementation at TCUs in ways that are culturally sustaining and community rooted.”
Heather Bleecker is excited for the opportunity provided by the TCU DRUM Circles project to center the unique needs of tribal colleges and universities and their students. A former faculty member at Salish Kootenai College, Bleecker’s research is focused on increasing student access to college level math by rethinking developmental math sequencing and offerings across TCUs.
She is exploring the possibility of creating a certificate-based developmental math course that equips students with the foundational skills and confidence needed to directly enter into the college math course required for their degree. For Bleecker, collaboration is key.
“Through collaborative research, this work will support student success and honor Indigenous ways of knowing and being.”
Jeffrey Jones
Red Lake Nation College
“I started introducing math games in my classroom as a way to authentically connect elements of culture and language into math instruction and align our students’ math learning experience to the mission of our college. Now, I’m excited to find out the impact of these interventions in more systematic ways.”
Jeffrey Jones is exploring how math games help students form their math identities, or sense of belonging, and whether that has an impact on their cultural identity. He knows a lot of students entering college see math as an obstacle to their goals based on their past experiences.
His research, and the work of the other faculty fellows participating in the TCU DRUM Circles project, is exploring and uncovering ways to better deliver math teaching and learning connected to culture and place. The program provides Jones with an opportunity to conduct research he was unable to conduct due to limited resources and experience.
“Now I’m getting support to conduct research that, I hope, validates or at least helps me learn more about what I’ve been trying to do with my methods of teaching math at Red Lake Nation College.”
Karen Colbert
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College
“My research on AI-resilient math teaching and learning introduces a new way to measure how students engage.”
Karen Colbert, of Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, believes the research being conducted by the TCU DRUM Circles fellows is critical to ensuring technology can help strengthen and preserve human agency in our communities and classrooms. Being part of the program is an opportunity to share, connect, and push the boundaries of what math education can look like in Indigenous and AI-enhanced learning experiences.
TCU DRUM Circles will also publish reports to offer current and potential TCU faculty and students greater understanding of the mathematics field landscape and promising practices at TCUs.
This community is further supported by four mentors as well as a graduate assistant:
Jameson Lopez – (Quechan)
Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies and Practice Member of the Graduate Faculty, University of Arizona, mentor
Philip Stevens – (San Carlos Apache)
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Director of American Indian Studies, University of Idaho, mentor
Sharon Nelson-Barber – (Rappahannock Indian)
sociolinguist and Senior Program Director, WestEd, mentor
Victoria Hand
Associate Professor of Education in STEM Education, University of Colorado Boulder, mentor
Jessica Benally- (Diné and Cochiti Pueblo)
Doctoral Student in the Learning Sciences & Human Development Program, University of California-Berkeley, graduate assistant
