Alison Tomlin

Navigating Schooled Numeracies: Explanations for Low Achievement, in Mathematics of UK Children From Low SES Background

The intention of the research reported here was to seek explanations for low achievement in school mathematics, as conventionally assessed, that derive from broad understandings of mathematics as social. Such a broad social perspective can provide explanations for low achievement, which could lead to different understandings and hence to different teaching approaches. This study centered on 5- to 8-year-old children from a White working-class area in England. Data were collected during visits to the children in school, in their homes, and in the broader community over a 3-year period. Parents, teachers, and other professionals in the broad school context were interviewed, and data were also collected from school documents and policy statements. Interpretations of these data in terms of ways of understanding childrens achievements in school mathematics are put forward. The potential effects of these factors on low schooled numeracy attainment are discussed, together with some possible strategic implications for practice and policy.

‘No Way is Can’t’: A Situated Account of One Woman’s Uses and Experiences of Mathematics

Three authors bring a range of different perspectives to bear on the experiences of one of them. The chapter explores the complexity of hearing voice and tackles the methodological difficulties of making and understanding personal accounts: of using mathematics in non-formal settings, of learning mathematics in formal educational settings, of planning for and understanding the learning of others. It presents multiple voices and a shared multi-voice analysis of Sandra’s changing mathematical identity over time and place. We found that — no matter where we looked — none of us could properly account for Sandra’s persistence with mathematics education, despite a history peppered with stories of the sort that might reasonably make people despair of mathematics education.