Mathematics teachers' positions and practices in discourses of assessment

Mathematics teachers ’ positions and practices in discourses of assessmen

Re-writing professional discourse.

The following thesis is concerned with what I have termed professional discourse. I\ud have used the term to call attention to two elements. With professional, I have\ud indicated a recent move in educational analysis and research on teachers and other\ud practitioners which represents a shift to a concern with practical activities, a tacit or\ud explicit resistance to theory, and an attempt to displace the cognitive paradigm of\ud research and theorizing. With the notion of discourse, I have indicated that, in order\ud that the as yet limited debate on professional activity be opened up, it has to be linked\ud with the discourse on practice. By the latter, I mean the opposition between practice and\ud theory at the analytical level, and its most recent unfoldings and manifestations.\ud The thesis identifies a vocabulary of practice, implicating such concepts as reflection,\ud repetition, judgment, skill, example, exemplar, and a series of oppositional terms, such\ud as saying/showing, competence/performance, explicit/implicit knowledge. These serve\ud as a link between the professional and the practical. The problematic of the\ud theory/practice relation in its various formulations is, then, explicitly addressed in the\ud work of Dreyfus, Habermas, Lyotard and Derrida.\ud The thesis claims that (a) it is Dreyfus' thesis on exemplarity that makes the link\ud possible between the professional and the practical, but (b) it is only with Habermas,\ud Lyotard and Derrida that the professional/practical discourse can take its linguistic turn.\ud Then the thesis addresses the implications of the linguistic turn. It argues that it is only\ud through an examination of the metaphysical presuppositions of the linguistic turn that\ud the claim of professional discourse to be free from the determinations of theory can be\ud assessed; in particular, the research methodologies of professional discourse have not\ud made a decision concerning metaphysics and thus they are reduced to methodological\ud technicity

Mathematical images in advertising: constructing difference and shaping identity, in global consumer culture

Mathematics educators have long emphasised the importance of attitudes and feelings towards mathematics, as crucial in motivating (or not) its learning and use, and as influenced in turn by its social images. This paper is about images of mathematics. Our search for advertisements containing such images of in UK daily newspapers, during 2006-2008, found that 4.7% of editions included a ‘mathematical’ advert, compared with 1.7% in pilot work for 1994-2003. The incidence varied across type of newspaper, being correlated with class and gender profiles of the readership. Three-quarters of advertisements were classified as containing only very simple mathematics. ‘Semiotic-discursive’ analysis of selected advertisements suggests that they draw on mathematics not to inform, but to connote qualities like precision, certainty and authority. We discuss the discourse on mathematics in advertising as ‘quasi-pedagogic’ discourse, and argue that its oversimplified forms, being empty of mathematical content, become powerful means for regulating and ‘pedagogising’ today’s global consumers

Un cadre pour reconsidérer l'enseignement des sciences : distinguer expérimentation et expérience

A framework for reconsidering the teaching of science. Distinguishing between experimentation and experience In this paper we attempt to renew reflection on the concepts of experience and experimentation, considered to be central to current scientific practice in school. In order to do this we discuss : - the distinctions between theory and observation which underlie four images of science ; - the introduction of virtuality in the constitution of the epistemic field, which enriches the images of science and helps delimit the scope of theory, observation, practice and communication. This analysis shows that simulation is an essential part of the field of practice, experimentation being considered to be a special case of simulation. As for experience, it is intrinsically linked with the field of communication, which is in turn linked to the field of practice. The article then examines the implications of these analyses for the teaching of science, perceived as a directed effort aiming to help pupils (re) construct scientific explanations that enrich their experience. This demands, above all, an understanding of reality through virtuality and requires the pupils, within the limitations of reality, to submit their understanding to the conditions (and limitations) of the field of practice.Dans cet article, nous tentons de renouveler la réflexion sur les notions d’expérience et d’expérimentation, considérées comme centrales dans les pratiques scientifiques courantes à l’école. Pour ce faire, nous discutons : - les distinctions entre théorie et observation qui sous-tendent quatre images de la science ; - l’introduction de la virtualité dans la constitution du champ épistémique, qui enrichit les images de la science et aide à délimiter les champs de la théorie, de l’observation, de la pratique et de la communication. L’analyse indique que la simulation est un élément essentiel dans le champ de la pratique, l’expérimentation étant envisagée comme un cas particulier de simulation. L’expérience est, elle, intrinsèquement liée au champ de la communication, lui-même associé au champ de la pratique. L’article examine ensuite les implications de ces analyses pour l’enseignement des sciences, conçu comme un effort dirigé visant à aider les élèves à (reconstruire des explications scientifiques qui enrichissent leur expérience. Cela demande avant tout une compréhension du réel à travers le virtuel et nécessite que les élèves, tout en se plaçant dans les limites du réel, soumettent leur compréhension aux conditions (et aux limites) du champ de la pratique.Un cuadro para reconsiderar la enseñanza de las ciencias, distinguir experimentación y experiencia En este artículo, intentamos renovar la reflexión sobre las nociones de experiencia y experimentación consideradas como centrales en las prácticas científicas corrientes en la escuela. Para eso discutimos : - la distinción entre teoría y observación que sostienen cuatro imágenes de la ciencia ; - la introducción de la virtualidad en la constitución del campo epistémico, que enriquece las imágenes y ayuda a limitar los campos de la teoría, la observación, la práctica y la comunicación. El análisis indica que la simulación es un elemento esencial en el campo de la práctica, la observación estando considerada como un caso particular de simulación. La experiencia es intrínsicamente ligada al campo de la comunicación y el mismo asociado al campo de la práctica. Luego, el artículo examina las implicaciones de esos análisis para la enseñanza de las ciencias, concebido como un esfuerzo dirigido a ayudar los alumnos a construir (reconstruir) las explicaciones científicas que enriquece su experiencia. Esto necesita antes que todo, una comprensión de lo real a través de lo virtual y necesita que los alumnos, con los limites de lo real, sometiendo la comprensión a las condiciones (y los limites) de la práctica.Koulaidis Vasilis, Tsatsaroni Anna. Un cadre pour reconsidérer l'enseignement des sciences : distinguer expérimentation et expérience . In: Aster, recherches en didactique des sciences expérimentales, n°28, 1999. L'expérimental dans la classe. pp. 167-190