The Culture of the Mathematics Classroom [Hardcover]

An examination of the mathematics classroom as a social process.Presents the current state of international research on the culture of the mathematics classroom. It provides deep, multi-faceted insights into the characteristic processes of the mathematics classroom and suggests potentially fruitful modifications. The volume examines teaching and learning mathematics as the social processes of making sense and meaning, and it views mathematics as socially evolving knowledge. Basic theoretical approaches are applied to concrete classroom episodes and specific teacher education projects are reported.Presents the current state of international research on the culture of the mathematics classroom. It provides deep, multi-faceted insights into the characteristic processes of the mathematics classroom and suggests potentially fruitful modifications. The volume examines teaching and learning mathematics as the social processes of making sense and meaning, and it views mathematics as socially evolving knowledge. Basic theoretical approaches are applied to concrete classroom episodes and specific teacher education projects are reported.The culture of the mathematics classroom is becoming an increasingly salient topic of discussion in mathematics education. Studying and changing what happens in the classroom allows researchers and educators to recognize the social character of mathematical pedagogy and the relationship between the classroom and culture at large. This volume is divided into three sections, reporting findings gained in both research and practice. The first part presents several attempts to change classroom culture by focusing on the education of mathematics teachers and on teacher-researcher collaboration. The second section shifts to the interactive processes of the mathematics classroom and to the communal nature of learning. The third section discusses the means of constructing, filtering, and establishing mathematical knowledge that are characteristic of l�