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MADIF9 PanelInforming TeachingThrough Research

John MasonMADIF9

Umeä Sweden2014The Open University

Maths Dept University of OxfordDept of Education

Promoting Mathematical Thinking

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1. What responsibility do we as researchers have to not only research practice, but also help improve practice?

Difference between– Doing social-science research using Maths Edn as a

research domain– Doing Maths-Edn research in order to improve the

experience of learners of mathematics To inform future practice

– Need to support practitioners in becoming sensitised to noticing opportunities to act freshly, and to enrich their reprtoire of possible actions and their affordances

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2. Should we, more than we do, try to develop methods, programs, perspectives and perhaps policies that also can be implemented in large scale? Cause & Effect not appropriate to Maths EdnSo Engineering specific actions is not feasibleHuman beings can be good at sensitive response to situationsProfessional J udgement needs to be developed & supported by policy For students to trust teachers, teachers must trust

students; For teachers to trust students, teachers must feel

trusted by management; For management to trust teachers, management must

feel trusted by government and parents; For students to respect the professional judgement of

teachers, teachers must respect the humanity, the personhood, the qualities that students bring to school

For teachers to respect students, teachers must feel professionally respected by management;

For management to respect teachers, management must feel respected by government and parents;

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3. Assuming we do involve ourselves in large scale projects, if they go wrong and our principles, methods, programs, policies etc become misrepresented or lead to unintended consequences, what are our responsibility as researchers?

Large-Scale projects are forms of social actionSo researchers are also social agents, and hence must take responsibility for enacting their project with full concern for the social and psychological wellbeing of all participants, mindful of possible unintended consequencesParadox: in order to take full responsibility, socal agents have to let go of control and empower those involved so that they in turn can take responsibility‘research’ & ‘evaluation’cannot be pure, but must work within what happensThis requires adjustment to what it means to provide evidence of ‘effectiveness’.

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Individual

Group

Institution

Community

What was the case

What is the case

What could be the case

Scale

Expertise is about knowing-to-act in-the-moment

(when pre-paring, paring, or post-paring)

Researchin Maths Edn & in Social Sciences

Zone of Possible Action:What is logically, culturally, conceivably possibleWhat is materially, culturally, conceivably constraining

Present moment

Historical

EvaluativeFactual

ExperimentalPilot-Predictive

Expertise is

artisticcreative

responsivehuman

MathematicsWays of Working: on mathemtics with students