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A Tale of Two More Metaphors: Storylines About Mathematics Education in Canadian National Media

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Abstract

In this companion piece to the article “A Tale of Two Metaphors: Storylines About Mathematics Education in Canadian National Media” (this issue), we further explore constructed meanings through the use of positioning theory. In our examination of 71 articles in the two Canadian national newspapers (The Globe and Mail and The National Post), we focus primarily on communication acts and further our investigation into storylines and positionings concerned with mathematics education. Elaborating on aspects of two more metaphors, those of war and competition, we highlight the production of dichotomies and the shared aspect of taking sides. An investigation of the ramifications and effects that are brought to the fore in the articles we examined involves two general themes: the purpose of education and the point of mathematics education itself. We draw on David Labaree’s framework identifying social efficiency and social mobility as different patterns of educational goals and highlight its parallels with the storylines in the articles we examined. The messages of the storylines feed the continued production of culturally shared narratives surrounding the purposes of mathematics education and education in general.

Résumé

Dans cet article qui accompagne l’article intitulé A tale of two metaphors: Storylines about mathematics education in Canadian national media (« L’histoire de deux métaphores: discours narratifs sur l’enseignement des mathématiques dans les médias nationaux canadiens », également dans ce numéro), nous nous penchons plus longuement sur les signifiés construits, grâce à la théorie du positionnement. Dans notre analyse de 71 articles parus dans les deux journaux nationaux canadiens (le Globe and Mail et le National Post), nous centrons notre attention sur les actes de communication, et nous poursuivons notre enquête sur les discours narratifs et le positionnement en matière d’enseignement des mathématiques. À partir de certains aspects qui caractérisent deux « autres » métaphores, celles de la guerre et de la compétition, nous soulignons les dichotomies ainsi que le parti pris (qui est partagé par les deux). Une analyse des ramifications et des effets qui émergent des articles fait ressortir deux thèmes généraux: le but de l’éducation et la raison d’être même de l’enseignement des mathématiques. Nous nous basons sur le cadre de David Labaree pour identifier « l’efficacité sociale » et la « mobilité sociale » comme deux modèles d’objectifs pédagogiques, et pour souligner les parallèles avec les discours narratifs des articles que nous avons analysés. Les messages contenus dans les récits alimentent la production continue de narratifs partagés sur le plan culturel, dont les thèmes portent sur les objectifs de l’enseignement des mathématiques et sur l’éducation en général.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Sean Chorney, Oi-Lam Ng & David Pimm

Authors
  1. Sean Chorney
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  2. Oi-Lam Ng
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  3. David Pimm
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Correspondence to Sean Chorney.

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Chorney, S., Ng, OL. & Pimm, D. A Tale of Two More Metaphors: Storylines About Mathematics Education in Canadian National Media. Can J Sci Math Techn 16, 402–418 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2016.1235746

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