Abstract
In this article, we frame issues of equity in term of the relations between the specifically mathematical practices established in the classroom on the one hand, and the practices of students’ local, home communities and of the broader groups to which they belong in wider society on the other hand. In the first part of the article, we discuss how the practices of these various groups and communities might be characterized by drawing on Wenger’s (1998) notion of a community of practice and Gee’s (1997) notion of a Discourse. Later in the article, we clarify that in addition to focusing on the continuities and contrasts between the practices of different communities, the relational perspective also encompasses issues of both power and identity. As we illustrate, the gatekeeping role that mathematics plays in students’ access to educational and economic opportunities is not limited to differences in the ways of knowing associated with participation in the practices of different communities. Instead, it also includes difficulties that students experience in reconciling their views of themselves and who they want to become with the identities that they are invited to construct in the mathematics classroom.
Expanded version of a chapter with the same title in N. S. Nasir and P. Cobb (Eds.) (2007). Improving access to mathematics: Diversity and equity in the classroom (pp. 159–171). New York: Teachers College Press.
The analysis presented in this paper was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant Nos. REC 9902982 and REC 0231037 and by Office of Educational Research and Improvement under grant number R305A60007. The opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the position, policy, or endorsement of the Foundation.
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Cobb, P., Hodge, L.L. (2010). Culture, Identity, and Equity in the Mathematics Classroom. In: Sfard, A., Gravemeijer, K., Yackel, E. (eds) A Journey in Mathematics Education Research. Mathematics Education Library, vol 48. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9729-3_11
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