Between August 11 and 15, ten math educators from primary, middle and high schools gathered at Fields to explore how artificial intelligence can support inclusive, confidence-building approaches to mathematics. The Academy’s guiding idea is that mathematics should ignite joy and agency, and that math classrooms can be places where all students see themselves as math explorers. AI plays a key supporting role in this vision.

Teachers shared candid reflections. One noted, “AI can improve things that we do to adapt to the different ways a student can demonstrate their learning.” Another emphasized that building stamina for working through challenges is “important for building learning confidence.” A third posed the central question: “How can teachers foster in students a desire to be in the classroom?” A fourth raised the problem of disengagement that often begins when students are unprepared and conclude — always too early — that they are too far behind to catch up.

The Academy encouraged participants to experiment with culturally responsive strategies, AI-infused lesson design, and inclusive assessments that highlight multiple ways of being successful in mathematics. For example, teachers used AI tools not to replace their work but to free them from routine tasks. Hands-on sessions featured Google Gemini resources—Notebook LM, Storybook, and Labs—enabling participants to research, develop, and present curriculum in new ways. Participants also recognized that AI can serve as a kind of accessible tutor for students who might benefit from extra support but cannot afford one, opening new possibilities for equity. Less time spent on repetitive preparation meant more time for what matters most: building students’ confidence, stamina, and curiosity in mathematics.

Beyond the Classroom: Why Engagement Matters

Persistent gaps in educational attainment by race are well-documented. The critical questions are why these gaps exist and in favour of who.

One factor lies in the discontinuity between what students experience at home and what they encounter at school. Differences in speech, expectations, leisure, or family structures can create tension for students navigating both worlds. An effective pedagogy must account for the cognitive load on learners who straddle these dual contexts.

At a broader level, these gaps reflect structural advantage—a patterned distribution of opportunities, credentials, and future earnings skewed toward some groups and away from others. Addressing engagement in math class, then, is not just about individual motivation but about rebalancing opportunity.

As Gloria Ladson-Billings, a pioneer of culturally relevant pedagogy, reminds us: “Despite the current social inequities and hostile classroom environments, students must develop their academic skills… all students need literacy, numeracy, technological, social and political skills in order to be active participants in a democracy” (1995, p. 160).

This vision resonates with the TDSB Mathematics Action Plan, which calls for mathematics instruction that “reflects the voices, identities, abilities, lived experiences and expertise of students.” It also underscores the Academy’s end goal: helping students choose and sustain academic excellence without losing cultural competence on the home front.

The event was the product of a broad collaboration. The organizers extend warm thanks to the teacher-participants for their insights, to the Blackhurst Cultural Centre where many of the ideas were first incubated, and to Karen Murray and the team at the TDSB Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement for providing financial support. The partnership with the Fields Institute began, fittingly, with a cold call to Director Deirdre Haskell, who immediately said yes. On the event days, the Academy benefited from the exceptional support of Fields staff, with special appreciation to Bryan Eelhart for his warm welcome.

The Organizers

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Program Director. PhD in Philosophy of Science (IHPST, UofT). Postdoc in AI & Trust at the Lassonde School of Engineering (York University). He currently teaches at the Schulich School of Business.
• Jan Makino – Mathematics Consultant. An avid traveler, Jan is the Head of Mathematics at Glenforest Secondary School, where she teaches from de-streamed Grade 9 to Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors.
• Rachel Luke – Program Co-Director and Instructional Coordinator for African, Black, and Afro-Caribbean Student Success at the Peel District School Board.

Note that the source for the quote is Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159–165.