Abstract
In this chapter we will propose several mechanisms in classroom interactions that give rise to disparity in learning opportunities. We will use terminology derived from the work of Basil Bernstein to describe these mechanisms in four episodes of classroom discourse. We conclude that efforts to enable “less able” students by incorporating elements of everyday “horizontal” discourse into school mathematics, which is oriented towards “vertical” academic discourse, can instead deny these students learning opportunities that are available to more privileged peers.
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Knipping, C., Reid, D., Straehler-Pohl, H. (2015). Establishing Mathematics Classroom Culture: Concealing and Revealing the Rules of the Game. In: Gellert, U., Giménez Rodríguez, J., Hahn, C., Kafoussi, S. (eds) Educational Paths to Mathematics. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15410-7_4
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