Setting Up Math Activities That Are Connected to Students’ Lives

As a math teacher, I’m accustomed to hearing two refrains: “I’m just not a math person” and “Math is not real life.” The first comment can be countered with words of encouragement and techniques that reinforce a positive math identity. The second comment is harder to rebut, because math is often taught in a way that isn’t easily applicable to real-life scenarios.

But math doesn’t need to be written off as boring and irrelevant, and it’s absolutely possible to demonstrate that math matters outside of an academic context. Math lessons can be both academically rigorous and culturally responsive.

The term culturally responsive teaching isn’t just pertinent to history and English courses. At its core, culturally responsive teaching means seeing students’ backgrounds and experiences as strengths. It means staying curious about what students bring to the math classroom. It means creating space for every student to contribute and be heard.

How I Connect Math to Students’ Experiences

Exploring geometry through local art: My students didn’t believe me when I said that art was mathematical until we made a visit to Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin, a stone chapel art installation on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, which is just a few miles away from our school. As we walked into the unique structure, students marveled at the regular, repeating patterns of the colored glass windows; the size and shape of the totem pole structure; and the floor plan designed for contemplation of light and shadow.

Afterward, the students said it was undeniable that the art installation drew from the same geometry concepts we explored in class: translations, rotations, reflections, and dilations. All I had to do was make the connection between the content and the beauty.

As a post-museum project, I asked students to create their own murals. For those not interested in wall art, I offered an alternative project designing a new FIFA soccer ball, pointing out the repeating pattern of regular pentagons and hexagons that were ready for illustration.

Examining sports and games: In addition to geometrically appealing equipment, sports can provide rich, engaging data for teaching statistics, probability, and data analysis. Prior to the 2026 World Cup, I challenged my students to utilize statistical reasoning: They analyzed past performance trends of teams and gathered other data in order to make predictions about future outcomes. There’s endless variety in sports statistics. Younger students might organize information with pictographs or compare shooting percentages. They want to talk about sports anyway, so we might as well lean into their passion and ultimately build numeracy and teamwork at the same time.

Using family recipes to investigate ratios and proportions: Sports are not the only thing my students love to talk about. They’re also enthusiastic foodies! I’ve encouraged students to dig into their heritage through family recipes, which are a natural entry point for navigating ratios, proportions, and scaling. Students adjusted recipes for different group sizes, compared measurements, and planned meals for family gatherings. I also incorporated price calculation at local stores, accounting for factors like discounts, so they could practice with percentages.

Students presented their menus during a celebratory “feast of learning” day. Some students presented their recipe and food via drawings and pictures, while others chose to bring in samples of their family food to share with the class.

Considering purchasing decisions and credit: My students are similarly interested in shopping, which provides a perfect opportunity to discuss financial literacy. I’ve gone over realistic scenarios with students where they’ve learned about simple and compound interest. By investigating goals like saving for a new phone or understanding the long-term impact of student loans, students can apply mathematics beyond the classroom. Additionally, if they’re interested in going to college, they can plan for the projected expenses of a postsecondary education.

Designing your own culturally reSponsive curriculum

Ironically enough, by adjusting my own curriculum, I’ve realized that my idea of culture is socially constructed. Math assignments that are relevant to students should be rooted in their culture and interests, not those of the dominant educational model. If you want to teach about culturally responsive topics, try to learn more about students’ interests, traditions, and community experiences. Beginning-of-the-year “get to know you” surveys and parent nights are a great place to start. Examine your data, then choose driving questions and real-world contexts that matter to your students. Look into authentic problems that are being addressed by community members and local organizations.

Math should be central to whichever topics you highlight. In my case, I wanted students to learn to appreciate art, see math in sports, and wrap their heads around vital financial literacy skills. More than that, though, I wanted to ensure that they could engage in deep mathematical reasoning and have number sense appropriate for their age.

Remember: Culturally responsive doesn’t need to be complicated or hard. We move beyond a “heroes and holidays” approach by recognizing that culture is everywhere. Events and interests that students encounter in their everyday lives are apt frameworks for our instruction. Math can be just as relevant as the best civics class. Take a look around and find the hidden numbers in your students’ lives that you can bring out to play.