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How Equity Concerns Lead to Attention to Mathematical Discourse

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Equity in Discourse for Mathematics Education

Part of the book series: Mathematics Education Library ((MELI,volume 55))

Abstract

This chapter examines the connections between equity and mathematical discourse and explores how discourse is relevant to equity. Through commentary on the preceding three chapters, I discuss four issues raised by different approaches to equity and to discourse: multiple approaches to equity, definitions of ‘discourse’, aspects of school discourse practices, and challenges with ethno-mathematical approaches. Next, I summarize what research tells us about equitable discourse practices for students from non-dominant communities in mathematics classrooms. In closing, I use the four chapters and my own work (Moschkovich, Language(s) and learning mathematics: Resources, challenges, and issues for research. In Moschkovich, J. (Ed.), Language and mathematics education: Multiple perspectives and directions for research (pp. 1–28). Charlotte: Information Age Publishing, 2010) to make recommendations for future research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I use the terms ‘practice’ and ‘practices’ in the sense of Scribner (1984), where a practice account of literacy serves to “highlight the culturally organized nature of significant literacy activities and their conceptual kinship to other culturally organized activities involving different technologies and symbol systems” (p. 13).

  2. 2.

    For a description of how discourse practices involve actions and goals and an analysis of the role of goals in the appropriation of mathematical practices, see Moschkovich (2004). For an analysis of how meanings for utterances reflect particular ways to focus attention, see Moschkovich (2008).

  3. 3.

    Work in mathematics seems to have focused on content more than language practices. Both of the works cited in the above paragraph focus on the content of instruction rather than on the language practices of the local community, by bringing into the classroom mathematical topics based on local activity. It is possible that some community language practices were also brought into classrooms. By knowing the student communities well, the researchers and teachers were most likely aware of language practices in the community.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Education Department, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Judit N. Moschkovich

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  1. Judit N. Moschkovich
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Correspondence to Judit N. Moschkovich .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, Erickson Hall 329, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Beth Herbel-Eisenmann

  2. , Warner School of Education, University of Rochester, Box 270425, Rochester, 14627, New York, USA

    Jeffrey Choppin

  3. , Faculty of Education, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, E3B 5A3, Canada

    David Wagner

  4. Dept. Secondary Education, University of Alberta, Education South 341, Edmonton, T6G 2G5, Alberta, Canada

    David Pimm

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Moschkovich, J.N. (2012). How Equity Concerns Lead to Attention to Mathematical Discourse. In: Herbel-Eisenmann, B., Choppin, J., Wagner, D., Pimm, D. (eds) Equity in Discourse for Mathematics Education. Mathematics Education Library, vol 55. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2813-4_6

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