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Being alongside : For the teaching and learning of mathematics

This book addresses the following research questions: how does a teacher create a classroom environment in which students can be creative and independent in their learning of mathematics? how does a teacher leader create a department environment in which teachers can be creative and independent in their learning about teaching mathematics, in particular, making use of video recordings of lessons? what is the same or different about answers to these first two questions?

The book is a report of an ESRC funded study, which adopted an enactivist methodology. What this means in practice is that the aim of research is to uncover theories that are 'good enough for' their users. Multiple views of data are taken and there is a cycling process of data collection and analysis. Video recordings were taken of the lessons of one exceptional teacher in one innovative mathematics department in the UK, over a two year period. These recordings were analysed to answer the first research question. There were two cycles of analysis, the first looking at patterns in the use of words, the second looking in more detail at the role of the teacher. These video recordings were also used by me (I was head of the department at the time) in department meetings with staff at the same school. Audio recordings were taken of these sessions and they were analysed to answer the second research question, again, there were two cycles of analysis.

In terms of dissemination, articles taken from this book have appeared in two journals (Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, For the Learning of Mathematics) and a third article is in preparation for the journal ZDM. I presented the key ideas from the book at a session during the day conference of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (March, 2013).