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Changing roles and identities in the construction of a community of mathematical inquiry

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education volume 13, pages 397–409 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

In the current shifts in mathematics classrooms, teachers are challenged to use effective pedagogy to develop inquiry communities in which all participants are offered opportunities to engage in the reasoning discourse of proficient mathematical practices. The challenge for teachers is to know how to implement these pedagogical changes. This article outlines how a teacher and researcher worked together in a collaborative partnership using a purposely designed communication and participation framework as a tool to scaffold development of collective reasoning in the inquiry community. The findings illustrate the interconnections between the teacher’s beliefs, past experiences, and current, and future expectations for her diverse students. Explanations are provided of how different, often conflicting, voices emerged including one that drew on the teacher’s cultural knowledge. This provided many learning opportunities for the researcher as the teacher developed her students’ voices in culturally appropriate ways.

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Notes

  1. Each state and integrated school in New Zealand is ranked into deciles, low to high on the basis of an indicator. The indicator used measures the socio-economic level of the school community. The lowest decile ranking is a decile 1 and the highest decile ranking is 10. Students of Māori and Pasifika ethnicity predominantly attend schools within decile ratings of 1–3.

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  1. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Roberta Hunter

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  1. Roberta Hunter
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Correspondence to Roberta Hunter.

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Hunter, R. Changing roles and identities in the construction of a community of mathematical inquiry. J Math Teacher Educ 13, 397–409 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-010-9152-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-010-9152-x

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