Going Beyond Belief Systems: Exploring a Model for the Social Influence on Mathematics Teacher Beliefs

This article discusses an approach to teacher belief systems which casts an eye away from cognitive constructs toward sociological constructs to complement existing ideas about the nature and genesis of beliefs. I offer some theoretical ideas for extending the notion of beliefs and describe two contrasting senior mathematics teachers, conceptualising the basis for their differences. These differences move away from beliefs about mathematics, toward ideological and discursive positions which in turn construct the nature of beliefs about teaching and learning.