Commentary on vocational mathematics education: where mathematics education confronts the realities of people’s work

In this commentary I will address the notions of work, the need for innovation, and the role of workplace mathematics. I will then provide an overview of some of the complex issues that confront the subfield of vocational mathematics education with consequences for current and future workers, drawing in part on the work of Basil Bernstein. Finally, I will address the question of workplace research and offer some possible directions for future research, as well as implications for policy. Reflections on the articles included in this special issue will frame the discussion.     

Writing reviews: perspectives from the editors of Educational Studies in Mathematics

Educational Studies in Mathematics -     

Perspectives on adult education in Portugal

Reflective processes in a reflective practice cycle tend to begin with accounts of significant incidents in a practitioner's activities which are then appraised, interrogated and assessed in a variety of ways depending on the agenda of the inquirer. This paper suggests that instrumental and critical accounts of practice may be enriched by an expressive approach which seeks to portray rather than analyse the activities that make up professional practice. Using an expressive approach, significant events can be explored as experiences of the practitioner and their “livedness” and texture made apparent. The foundations of the expressive approach are shown to be two linked forms of phenomenological inquiry, the empathetic and the intuiting. When the expressive approach is applied to reflective practice, it is seen to make an enriching contribution particularly, but not exclusively, to its initial describing phase and through it to the whole reflective cycle.     

In the workplace mathematics does not announce itself: towards overcoming the hiatus between mathematics education and work

After improving enrolment rates significantly, many developing countries such as Peru are facing the challenge to increase learning levels among students. Over the past few years, many researchers have turned to teacher-related variables as a way to better understand classroom processes that may help increase learning levels among students. In this study, we analyze one of these, that falls under what Shulman (Educational Researcher, 15 (2), 4–14, 1986) called pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Specifically, in this study, we analyze one of the areas of PCK which is knowledge of content and students. This was measured through a test where teachers were asked to explain students’ mistakes and predict responses in similar mathematics exercises. We explore if PCK is associated with the socioeconomic status of children and if it has an effect on children’s achievement. Additionally, we analyze which teacher characteristics are associated with higher scores in PCK. The analysis uses the Young Lives longitudinal survey for Peru. We found that students’ socioeconomic status at age 1 and maternal education were positively associated with their teachers’ PCK by the time students were enrolled in fourth grade, thus depicting a very unequal education system. Furthermore, teachers’ PCK was positively associated with student achievement, but only when a threshold for the PCK test was established. For our sample, male teachers, who were younger, and Spanish speakers had higher PCK scores.