Meet Benjamin Dickman, a mathematics teacher at Manhattan鈥檚 Hewitt School and a researcher specializing in problem posing and teacher education. With the support of the , sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Dickman traveled over 8,500 miles this summer to lead teacher education programming related to his areas of work, which include mathematical problem solving, problem posing, and educational technology.
Working with educators for a month in the small municipality of Daraga, Dickman led a multi-day conference and delivered numerous lectures, in addition to participating in projects such as a community garden and the school鈥檚 first in-person graduation ceremony since before the pandemic.
鈥淒araga has limited resources, but uses them optimally,鈥� explains Dickman, who was impressed by the lengths to which educators and students will go to take advantage of short periods of electricity and internet access to share resources. 鈥淲e have so many resources [in the United States], but too often, we use them sub-optimally.鈥�
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Passionate about immersing himself in different international education experiences, Dickman 鈥� whose bylines include numerous articles on mathematical instruction 鈥� served as a Fulbright Fellow in China in 2009. During his time at TC in the Mathematics Education program, he joined faculty and classmates in Shanghai as a graduate instructor for the 鈥淭eaching Mathematics in Diverse Cultures鈥� course in 2014 鈥� a formative experience that fostered Dickman鈥檚 connections with faculty like the late Bruce Vogeli, J. Philip Smith and Erica Walker, and classmate Liz Brennan (Ph.D. 鈥�15), with whom Dickman still works and who served as a reference writer during the Fulbright DAST application process
It鈥檚 this TC 鈥渇ocus on international, multicultural education鈥� and 鈥渇ostering of 鈥嬧�媗ong-term professional relationships鈥� that Dickman believes have continued to serve him in his research endeavors 鈥� including the latest adventure to the Philippines.
In addition to leveraging an international lens in his research and practice, Dickman supports a thoughtful and structural approach to social-emotional learning (SEL) in his instruction of mathematics at a girls day school in New York. While a relatively common practice in the city and even the school Dickman visited in the Philippines, the framework remains contested in more conservative parts of the United States.
鈥淭he idea that students鈥� well-being was negatively affected during the pandemic was not anything worth objecting to [in Daraga],鈥� explains Dickman, who notes that the country鈥檚 approach to social-emotional learning may change, with a new Filipino president assuming office in late June. 鈥淪EL is premised on the idea that you鈥檙e teaching people and people have social-emotional experiences.鈥�
This 鈥� and Dickman鈥檚 belief that math is not merely about numbers but rather the people affected by its use and misuse 鈥� represent a core part of his ethos in the classroom. Teaching math at a girls school, Dickman emphasizes that barriers to STEM are too often conveyed as individual failures rather than systematic issues.
鈥淲hen STEM spaces are actively hostile towards learners with certain identities, avoiding these spaces can be a rational decision,鈥� explains Dickman, who notes that this is further compounded by the lack of diversity in traditional curriculum highlighting mathematicians.
鈥淢ost [K-12 math learners] can鈥檛 name even one woman mathematician and I don鈥檛 know how most people can feel welcome [in the field] when that number is perceived as zero,鈥� remarks Dickman, a recipient of TC鈥檚 2020 Early Career Award.
Systematic implementations are essential to social-emotional learning itself, Dickman says, and tendencies to place burden on historically excluded groups or rely too much on exceptional cases threaten overall success.
As for what鈥檚 next, Dickman will begin his seventh year teaching mathematics and engaging in teacher education at The Hewitt School this fall. You can keep up with Dickman鈥檚 research and travels on .