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Mathematics education as a matter of discourse

Morgan, CR; (2017) Mathematics education as a matter of discourse. In: Encyclopedia of educational philosophy and theory. (pp. 1-6). Springer: Singapore, Singapore.

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Abstract

What does it mean to conceive of Mathematics Education as “a matter of discourse”? This question can be answered in several ways, varying according to theoretical understanding of the nature of discourse and according to the scope of what is taken to be Mathematics Education. At a basic level, discourse is sometimes defined as verbal interaction. Taking this definition, it is hard to dispute the claim that mathematics education involves discourse and there is substantial agreement among researchers and curriculum developers that verbal interaction has an important role to play in learning. In this article, however, discourse is taken to involve not only use of language but also its functions within the social practices of mathematics education. These practices involve distinctive ways of seeing the world and acting in it, forms of identity and relationships among participants, sets of values and expectations, all of which shape and are shaped by language use. The discursive component of a practice involves the distinctive patterns of language and other forms of communication that participants use to construe their experience of the world. Considering Mathematics Education as a matter of discourse, therefore, entails studying the patterns of language use: the objects and actions that are spoken of, the relationships between them and the values attached to them; the subject positions that are available and the ways these may be taken up or contested; what kinds of things can be said and which participants in the discourse are able to say what.

Type: Book chapter
Title: Mathematics education as a matter of discourse
ISBN: 9812875875
ISBN-13: 9789812875877
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_514-1
Publisher version: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789812875877#oth...
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Discourse, mathematics education.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1521964
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