How are individual students' experiences of dialogic maths learning shaping and shaped by their identities over the course of secondary maths educatio
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Environment, Education and Development
Abstract
This research will address the question: "How are individual students' experiences of dialogic maths learning shaping and shaped by their identities over the course of secondary maths education?". This research will analyse data from the students' own perspectives in a longitudinal case study.
This research is a direct response to policy and social changes I have witnessed first-hand as a teacher. A decade of austerity has led to increased structural inequalities, exaggerated further by COVID-19. Dominant policies (such as academisation) have led to competitive pressures which have
widened gaps further (Polianskaya, 2018). This project is therefore situated within a system of social divides. Using collaboration and dialogue to challenge received power structures and bridge social divides is common in the literature (e.g. Brown, 2009; Planas and Civil, 2009). Boaler (2006, p.
365) found that following a collaborative approach led to greater inclusivity as students developed respect for "each other regardless of differences in ethnicity, culture, gender, social class, or attainment level". However, contemporary educational policy is unclear about the role of dialogic learning. On the one hand, curriculum frameworks say that maths lessons should allow students to "organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication" (NCTM, 2021, para. 3). However, current populist pedagogies tend to returnto 'traditional' styles of monologic teaching or direct instruction, even claiming that these can be used to tackle social inequality. OFSTED's (2021) report into mathematics education barely mentions discussion. Greater study into dialogic learning is essential within this context of social divides and contradictions. Identities must also be considered
alongside dialogic learning as social divides and more narrow teaching styles create challenges around sense of self, and relationships with others
and with maths.
This research is a direct response to policy and social changes I have witnessed first-hand as a teacher. A decade of austerity has led to increased structural inequalities, exaggerated further by COVID-19. Dominant policies (such as academisation) have led to competitive pressures which have
widened gaps further (Polianskaya, 2018). This project is therefore situated within a system of social divides. Using collaboration and dialogue to challenge received power structures and bridge social divides is common in the literature (e.g. Brown, 2009; Planas and Civil, 2009). Boaler (2006, p.
365) found that following a collaborative approach led to greater inclusivity as students developed respect for "each other regardless of differences in ethnicity, culture, gender, social class, or attainment level". However, contemporary educational policy is unclear about the role of dialogic learning. On the one hand, curriculum frameworks say that maths lessons should allow students to "organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication" (NCTM, 2021, para. 3). However, current populist pedagogies tend to returnto 'traditional' styles of monologic teaching or direct instruction, even claiming that these can be used to tackle social inequality. OFSTED's (2021) report into mathematics education barely mentions discussion. Greater study into dialogic learning is essential within this context of social divides and contradictions. Identities must also be considered
alongside dialogic learning as social divides and more narrow teaching styles create challenges around sense of self, and relationships with others
and with maths.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sylvie Lomer (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Jane Goodland (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P000665/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2760892 | Studentship | ES/P000665/1 | 01/10/2022 | 30/09/2028 | Jane Goodland |