Chapter 7: Conclusions and implications
7.2 Implications for mathematics teaching
The initial conceptualisation of teaching mathematics for social justice (see Chapter 2) provided a valuable starting point for generating ideas for classroom activities. The research project demonstrated how mathematics can be used as a means of helping students to better understand issues of social justice, thus contributing towards building a better society, perceived by many teachers as an essential aim of education in general. At the same time, exploring such issues can make a significant contribution towards developing mathematical understanding. Deeper understanding of both the social justice issues and mathematical concepts is more likely to develop when there is a meaningful link between the two, as there is, for example, between Fair Trade and percentages.
Progressive pedagogies, based on discursive, collaborative, problem-solving approaches to learning, are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for teaching mathematics for social justice. The project outlined how such pedagogies can be built upon, in order to promote student agency, by encouraging students to make their own decisions about which issues to explore and which mathematical procedures to apply. Through developing and presenting their own arguments, students appreciate how mathematics can be used, not only to better understand a situation, but also to argue for a change. Unfortunately, progressive pedagogies are discouraged by the existing mathematics curriculum, which cultivates unnecessary concern amongst the most highly attaining students that such approaches do not prepare them
adequately for exams. In order to allow students to become independent and critical mathematics thinkers, consideration should be given to the nature of assessment currently used to measure success in school mathematics.
Making mathematics more meaningful, and more relevant to students’ real life experiences, significantly raises levels of engagement with, and enjoyment of, the subject. Students begin to see it as having purpose and being more applicable to their future lives. Increasing
engagement is particularly noticeable amongst lower-attaining and disaffected students, showing the potential of these approaches for closing the attainment gap between higher and lower-attaining students. These strategies can help reduce the number of learners who become alienated from mathematics and, in turn, foster a more positive attitude towards mathematics amongst the general public.
Initial resistance, apparent amongst some higher-attaining students, to the alternative
teaching approaches developed in this project, can be attributed to the perceived threat posed to their continued success in the subject. It should be noted, however, that many higher-
attaining students choose not to continue studying the subject once it becomes non- compulsory. Teaching mathematics for social justice has the potential to encourage more higher-attaining students to study mathematics at advanced levels, by convincing them that they can continue to be successful in a subject, which has been made more engaging, relevant and meaningful.
The project provided insight into the extent to which cultural capital places some students at an advantage over others in mathematics classrooms. In order to challenge structural
inequities within schools, the ‘rules of the game’ need to be made more explicit, to enable all students to develop the learning and social skills necessary for achieving success in
mathematics. Progressive pedagogies should be adopted with all students, but particularly those lacking cultural capital, who are less predisposed towards, but have the most to gain from, discursive and open-ended approaches to learning. However, these students require careful induction into how to engage with such approaches more effectively. A fine balance must be maintained between providing appropriate guidance and support to students, and promoting independent learning, mathematical thinking and critical understanding.
The project highlighted how rare it is for students to be asked to reflect on the nature of mathematics, despite its privileged position in the school curriculum. Teachers of
mathematics, even those who have studied the subject to degree level, are rarely encouraged to reflect on questions about the nature and position of mathematics before training to become teachers. This allows myths, such as mathematics being a value-free and neutral subject, and mathematical success being dependent upon innate ability, to be perpetuated from generation to generation, resulting in the continued alienation of a large proportion of society from the subject. Such myths need to be challenged by encouraging students to reflect on the nature of mathematics, and their own feelings towards the subject, by making this an explicit part of the mathematics curriculum.
Students should be made aware that success in mathematics is not always achieved on merit, for example, by encouraging them to explore data showing how mathematical attainment is associated with parental income. Enabling students, who are disadvantaged in learning
mathematics, to better understand their own situation, can help them to overcome barriers to achieving success in a subject which, to a large extent, determines their future life
opportunities. The project highlighted the importance of establishing relationships of trust between teacher and students, based on fostering mutual respect rather than exploiting positions of authority, before engaging in such discussions.