Walls Mathematical Subjects

Children Talk About Their Mathematics Lives
2009
ISBN: 978-1-4419-0597-0
Verlag: Springer US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 286 Seiten

Teaching and learning mathematics is a political act in which children, teachers, parents, and policy makers are made visible as subjects. As they learn about mathematics, children are also learning about themselves - who they are, who they might become. We can choose to listen or not to what children have to say about learning mathematics. Such choices constitute us in relations of power. Mathematical know-how is widely regarded as essential not only to the life chances of individuals, but also to the health of communities and the economic well-being of nations. With the globalisation of education in an increasingly market-oriented world, mathematics has received intensified attention in the first decade of the twenty-first century with a shifting emphasis on utilitarian aspects of mathematics. This is reflected in the reconceptualisation of mathematical competence as mathematical literacy, loosely conceived as those ways of thinking, reasoning and working 'mathematically' that allow us to engage effectively in everyday situations, in many occupations, and the cut and thrust of world economies as active, empowered and participatory citizens. It is no surprise then that mathematics has become one of the most politically charged subjects in primary school curricula worldwide. We are experiencing an unprecedented proliferation of regional and national strategies to establish benchmarks, raise standards, enhance achievement, close gaps, and leave no child behind in mathematics education. Industries have sprung up around the design, administration and monitoring of standardised assessment to measure and compare children's mathematical achievement against identified benchmarks and each other.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Walls, Fiona

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Acknowledgements;8
3;Introduction: An Overview;11
4;Chapter 1;16
4.1;Of Subjects, Subjectivity, and Subjectification: Subjects Made Visible;16
4.1.1;Subjects;18
4.1.2;Subjectivity;20
4.1.3;Subjectification;22
4.1.4;The Role of Discourse;23
5;Chapter 2;26
5.1;Of Archaeology and Genealogy: Choosing Sites and Tools;26
5.1.1;Archaeology;26
5.1.2;Genealogy;27
5.1.3;Children Talk About Their Mathematics Lives: Framing the Research;29
5.1.4;Archaeology, Genealogy and Biography: Researching the Storied Subject;31
6;Chapter 3;40
6.1;Children at Work;40
6.1.1;Meeting the Mathematical Subjects;40
6.1.2;The Shape of “Doing Maths”;48
6.1.3;Working to Rule: Setting Out and Doing Exercises;52
6.1.4;Completing Tasks;55
6.1.5;Working Solo;56
6.1.6;Working to the Text;58
6.1.7;Jessica’s Classroom: “School Mathematics 2”: A Group Activity;59
6.1.8;Rochelle’s Classroom: “Figure It Out”: A Whole Class Activity;60
6.1.9;Worksheets: Tasks for Mathematical Workers;63
6.1.10;Working from the Board;66
6.1.11;Working with Manipulatives;67
6.1.12;Home Work;69
6.1.13;“Doing Maths” as a Discursive Practice;71
6.1.14;The Curriculum View of Doing Mathematics;73
6.1.15;Classrooms as Surfaces of Emergence;74
6.1.16;Mathematical Workers Subjected;76
7;Chapter 4;78
7.1;Tests and Contests;78
7.1.1;The Fast Start: Fleur’s Classroom;78
7.1.2;The Monthly Basic Facts Speed Test: Georgina’s Classroom;80
7.1.3;The Timed Public Performance: Jared’s Classroom;81
7.1.4;Mathematical Combat: Jessica’s Classroom;83
7.1.5;The Maths Race;84
7.1.6;Keeping Up to Speed;87
7.1.7;Speed Activities as Regulatory Practice;94
7.1.8;Looking to the Archive;97
7.1.9;Speed Activities, Power and Control;100
7.1.10;Speed as Mathematical Discourse;101
8;Chapter 5;103
8.1;Error and Correction;103
8.1.1;The Algebra Lesson: Georgina’s Year 3 Classroom;104
8.1.2;Practice Questions: Georgina’s Year 5 Classroom;105
8.1.3;New Learning;108
8.1.4;The Tree Diagram Lesson: Jessica’s Classroom;108
8.1.5;Playing the Question/Answer Game: Dominic’s Classroom;111
8.1.6;Getting it Right: Peter’s Classroom;113
8.1.7;Error and Correction;117
8.1.8;Introducing Written Algorithms: The Right Way to Calculate;119
8.1.9;The Universal Language of Mathematics?;127
8.1.10;Teachers’ Views of Children’s Learning and Knowing of Mathematics;129
8.1.11;Children’s Perspectives of Learning and Knowing Mathematics;130
8.1.12;The Place and Purpose of Learning Mathematics;132
8.1.13;Children’s Views of the Nature of Mathematics;134
8.1.14;Mathematics at Home;136
8.1.15;Teachers’ Views of Mathematics;137
8.1.16;Mathematical Subjectivity: Being Right, Being Wrong;139
9;Chapter 6;142
9.1;The Emergence of Ability;142
9.1.1;Mitchell: “Behind the Eight Ball”;143
9.1.2;Jessica: “Average” or “A Middle Kid”;152
9.1.3;Rochelle: A “Super Smarty Pants”;157
9.1.4;Sorting Children;160
9.1.5;Teachers Talk About Children;164
9.1.5.1;Fleur;164
9.1.5.2;Georgina;164
9.1.5.3;Dominic;164
9.1.5.4;Jared;165
9.1.5.5;Liam;165
9.1.5.6;Peter;165
9.1.5.7;Toby;166
9.1.6;Mathematical Ability as Discursive Construct;166
9.1.7;Parents Talk About Their Children;168
9.1.8;Children Talk About Themselves;169
9.1.9;Ability in the Archive;173
9.1.10;Inscribing the Mathematically Able Child;176
10;Chapter 7;182
10.1;Form and Formula;182
10.1.1;Doing Maths: The Typical Mathematics Lesson Revisited;183
10.1.2;Understanding Mathematics;187
10.1.3;The Nature and Purpose of Mathematics Continued …;189
10.1.4;Subjected Subjects;192
11;Chapter 8;193
11.1;Measures of Success;193
11.1.1;Standardising the Mathematical Subject;194
11.1.2;Mathematical Subjectivity Through the “Ability” Lens;196
11.1.3;Sorting Mathematically “Able” Subjects;198
11.1.4;Mathematical Minds: Fiction or Truth?;202
11.1.5;Mathematical Subjectivity “Spun” in Family Stories;207
12;Chapter 9;212
12.1;Keeping Up;212
12.1.1;Teacher as Helper;213
12.1.2;Classmates as Helpers;214
12.1.3;Attending Tutorials;214
12.1.4;Engaging Private Tutors;215
13;Chapter 10;222
13.1;The Shape of Life;222
13.1.1;Occupational Subjectivity;223
13.1.2;Choosing Mathematics;226
14;Chapter 11;235
14.1;Girl Time and Boys’ Clubs: Mathematical Genderfication;235
14.1.1;Mathematical Genderfication and Occupational Subjectivity;235
14.1.2;Gendered Lives;236
14.1.3;The Gendered Construction of Occupational Aspiration;237
14.1.4;Family Patterns in Occupational Subjectivity;239
14.1.5;Gendered Mathematical Subjects;242
14.1.6;Genderfication and Mathematical Discourse;246
14.1.7;Mathematical Subjects as Gendered Subjects;248
15;Chapter 12;250
15.1;Background or Foreground? Home, Social Class and Ethnicity;250
15.1.1;Mathematics, Occupational Subjectivity and Social Class in Process;255
15.1.2;Ethnicity;257
16;Chapter 13;259
16.1;Contemplating a Child-Friendly Mathematical Education;259
16.1.1;Children as Mathematical Subjects;264
17;Anchor 1;270
18;Anchor 2;272