Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Politicizing Mathematics Education : Has Politics gone too far ? Or not far enough ?
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Sriraman, Bharath Roscoe, Matt |
| Copyright Year | 2009 |
| Abstract | In this chapter we tackle increasingly sensitive questions in mathematics and mathematics education, particularly those that have polarized the community into distinct schools of thought as well as impacted reform efforts. We attempt to address the following questions: What are the origins of politics in mathematics education, with the progressive educational movement of Dewey as a starting point? How can critical mathematics education improve the democratization of society? What role, if any, does politics play in mathematics education, in relation to assessment, research and curricular reform? How is the politicization of mathematics education linked to policy on equity, equal access and social justice? Is the politicization of research beneficial or damaging to the field? Does the philosophy of mathematics (education) influence the political orientation of policy makers, researchers, teachers and other stake holders? What role does technology play in pushing society into adopting particular views on teaching and learning and mathematics education in general? What does the future bear for mathematics as a field, when viewed through the lens of equity and culture? Overview Mathematics education as a field of inquiry has a long history of intertwinement with psychology. In fact one of its early identities was as a happy marriage between mathematics (specific content) and psychology (cognition, learning, and pedagogy). However the field has not only grown rapidly in the last three decades but has also been heavily influenced and shaped by the social, cultural and political dimensions of education, thinking and learning. To some, these developments are a source of discomfort because they force one to reexamine the fundamental nature and purpose of mathematics education in relation to society. The social, cultural and political nature of mathematics education is important for a number of reasons: Why do school mathematics and the curricula repeatedly fail minorities and first peoples in numerous parts of world? Why is mathematics viewed as an irrelevant and insignificant school subject by some disadvantaged inner city youth? Why do reform efforts in mathematics curricula repeatedly fail in schools? Why are minorities and women under-represented in mathematics and science related fields? Why is mathematics education the target of so much political/policy attention? The traditional knowledge of cultures that have managed to adapt, survive and even thrive in the harshest of environments (e.g., Inuits in Alaska/Nunavut; Aboriginals in Australia, etc) are today sought by environmental … |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://hs.umt.edu/math/research/technical-reports/documents/2009/22_SriramanRoscoeandEnglish_22_2009.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Cognition Dewey Decimal Classification Educational Curriculum Fail-safe Impacted tooth Malaise National origin Pedagogy Relevance School Sense of identity (observable entity) holder |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
