Social representations as mediators of mathematics learning in multiethnic classrooms

Abstract

Drawing on socio-cultural theory, we understand the norms regulating the practices within the mathematics classroom as resulting from the social representations of the socially dominant groups and of the school culture related to what constitutes learning mathematics. Immigrant students, having their own personal histories as members of particular social groups, and having been in school traditions other than the one predominant in the host society, have their own images of what mathematics in school is about. Individuals interacting in the classroom are all re-interpreting the different episodes from the perspective of the social representations of the larger groups with which they identify themselves. In multiethnic classrooms different re-interpretations of the same norms clash. The lack of negotiation gives rise to obstacles to immigrant students' participation in the mathematical conversations and, therefore, interferes with the students' learning process.

Examining Social and Sociomathematical Norms in Different Classroom Microcultures: Mathematics Teacher Education Perspective

“…Although the teaching arrangements of AE1 and AE2 were based on group study, norms like Everybody should help each other (Gorgorio & Planas, 2005), It's important to reach group consensus (Hershkowitz & Schwarz, 1999), and Learning more mathematics requires collaboration (social norm of proving process; Connelly, 2012) were not identified in the present study. Disregarding collaborations in the current classrooms could be a reason or a result of this aspect.…”

“…On the other hand, a norm can also be identified by a teacher's explicit statement. For example, the sentence "We study collaboratively in this classroom and everybody must help each other" is a clear indicator of a social norm (Gorgorio & Planas, 2005). According to Sfard (2008), who stated that widely approved and enacted meta-rules can be interpreted as norms that facilitates discourse in a classroom community, a norm must be enacted and supported by the majority of the classroom community.…”

Cultural distance and identities-in-construction within the multicultural mathematics classroom

“…These processes could allow a shared construction of meaning for the idea of negotiation or, at least, achieve consensus over the need for negotiation. Notes 1 Ramia's case has been presented elsewhere Planas, 2005) to also illustrate how social representations mediate mathematics learning in multicultural mathematics classrooms. That the same case can be interpreted in more than one way illustrates that the complexity of the multicultural mathematics classroom can be, and has to be, analysed from multiple, complementary perspectives.…”

“…That the same case can be interpreted in more than one way illustrates that the complexity of the multicultural mathematics classroom can be, and has to be, analysed from multiple, complementary perspectives. In Planas (2005) the reader may also find a detailed description of the research method of the study. 2 This paper is part of a research project funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (BSO2000-01264/psce), the Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (SEJ2004-02462) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (PRP2004-08).…”

“…Therefore, in-transition students and their practices are more prone to be valued negatively due to a priori socially constructed assumptions. This valuing interferes with the orchestration of negotiation of meanings (see Planas 2005, for a full argument).…”