Exploratory mathematics talk in a second language: a sociolinguistic perspective

Robertson, Sally-Ann; Graven, Mellony

doi:10.1007/s10649-018-9840-5

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…For example, de Araujo's findings (2017) show that secondary mathematics teachers' selection of less cognitively demanding tasks were guided by their beliefs about limitations in L2 students' linguistic abilities. Robertson and Graven (2019b) too showed how use of English only in a grade 4 class of first language isiXhosa students constrained the mathematics teacher's efforts to encourage exploratory talk, with students making statements of mathematical 'fact' rather than providing reasons why. This restricted the students' opportunities for deepening their conceptual understandings of mathematical ideas.…”

Section: Inclusivity Relative To Classroom Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning

Robertson

Graven

2019

Math Ed Res J

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This article explores the power of language to either include or exclude certain groups of students from genuine opportunities for mathematical sense-making. The substantial increase worldwide in the number of students learning mathematics through a language other than their primary language makes this a particularly urgent issue. This paper focuses on the South African situation, where, because English is widely perceived as the language of opportunity, it is, by grade 4, overwhelmingly the chosen language of learning and teaching. The epistemological and pedagogical consequences of this choice are evidenced in the poor performance of the country's students on national and international assessments of mathematical proficiency. Drawing on research literature around language immersion education models and the extent to which these align with certain key principles of second language acquisition, this position paper motivates for a stronger and more sustained commitment to providing students, particularly those from marginalized and vulnerable communities, with opportunities for becoming both bilingual and biliterate. Empirical data from two South African grade 4 mathematics classrooms are used to illuminate aspects of the mathematical sense-making challenges students and their teachers face without such commitment.

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Section: Inclusivity Relative To Classroom Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning

Robertson

Graven

2019

Math Ed Res J

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“…Unlike Coles and Sinclair, and McCloskey et al (2017), who focus on offering an alternative to the conceptualisation of Britual^, Robertson and Graven (2018) propose an alternative dyad-namely Bright answerism^vs. Bexploratory talk^.…”

Section: Alternative Views Of Ritualmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rituals and explorations in mathematical teaching and learning: introduction to the special issue

Heyd-Metzuyanim

Graven

2019

Educ Stud Math

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This special issue comprises seven studies and a commentary piece, which relate to various aspects of rituals and the Britual-exploration^dyad in learning, teaching and learning-to-teach mathematics. The theme of the special issue arose from Sfard and Lavie's (Cognition and Instruction, 23(2), 237-309, 2005) Britual^vs. Bexplorative^dyad, on which a Working Session was held during the PME conference in 2016. Three central themes are addressed in the papers of this special issue: (1) the logic of ritual, and why rituals are so persistent in mathematics classrooms; (2) the coexistence of rituals and explorations, including the question of whether rituals and explorations are a binary or a continuum; and (3) alternative theoretical conceptualisations of the ritual-exploration dyad, focusing in particular on what can be learned about rituals from social and critical theory, as well as socio-linguistics. In this introduction, we first give an overview of each of the papers and its unique contribution. We then synthesise the answers given by the papers to the three themes described above.

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“…We note that in mediating her learners' acquisition of both mathematical proficiency and proficiency in the academic language relating to mathematics, Ms P's practices are quite different from that of Ms M, the second teacher in the broader case study. We have reported on Ms M's classroom language practices elsewhere (Robertson & Graven 2019). Two main differences were evident in these teachers' mathematics classroom language practices.…”

Section: Discussion and Concluding Commentsmentioning

confidence: 95%

A mathematics teacher’s response to a dilemma: ‘I’m supposed to teach them in English but they don’t understand’

Robertson¹,

Graven²

2020

South African Journal of Childhood Education

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Exploratory mathematics talk in a second language: a sociolinguistic perspective

Cited by 21 publications

References 14 publications

Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning

Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning

Rituals and explorations in mathematical teaching and learning: introduction to the special issue

A mathematics teacher’s response to a dilemma: ‘I’m supposed to teach them in English but they don’t understand’

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