Shifting towards equity: challenging teacher views about student capability in mathematics

Persistent inequities in mathematics teaching and learning for specific groups of learners are a key challenge for researchers and educators. The use of ability grouping has been common practice in New Zealand mathematics classrooms. However, many researchers (e.g. Boaler and Wiliam 2001 ; Zevenberg...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mathematics education research journal 2020-03, Vol.32 (1), p.37-55
Main Authors: Hunter, Jodie, Hunter, Roberta, Anthony, Glenda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability Grouping
Attitude Change
Classrooms
Education
Educational Practices
Equal Education
Foreign Countries
Group theory
Mathematical analysis
Mathematics
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Instruction
Mathematics Teachers
Original Article
Professional development
Researchers
Teacher Attitudes
Teachers
Teaching Methods
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Persistent inequities in mathematics teaching and learning for specific groups of learners are a key challenge for researchers and educators. The use of ability grouping has been common practice in New Zealand mathematics classrooms. However, many researchers (e.g. Boaler and Wiliam 2001 ; Zevenbergen in 2003 ) highlight the negative effects of grouping and lack of opportunities for students placed in low-ability groups. The Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC) project is a whole-school professional development intervention designed to support a shift towards more inclusive and equitable pedagogy in the mathematics classroom. This article examines the changes in teacher beliefs about ability grouping in mathematics classrooms over time as teachers reconstruct their pedagogical practices as part of DMIC. Analysis of teacher and student interview data illustrates the ways in which the shifts in practice at the beginning of the re-invention contrasted with those at the end of the first year. We use an adaptation of Valsiner’s zone theory (Valsiner 1997 ) to explain how the changed classroom practices supported teachers to enact more equitable practices while also constructing a more expansive view of student capability.
ISSN:1033-2170
2211-050X
DOI:10.1007/s13394-019-00293-y