Learning about teaching argumentation for critical mathematics education in multilingual classrooms

Project summary

The project investigates two compulsory mathematics courses in primary school teacher education for 1st to 7th Grade and examines preservice teachers’ learning. We are planning, implementing and evaluating the courses in relationship to Argumentation and Critical Mathematics Education (ACME) in multilingual classrooms. The aim of the research is to gain insights into what promotes or inhibits preservice teacher in learning to teach ACME to school students in multilingual classrooms. The research is divided into three sub-projects: argumentation and linguistic diversity, argumentation and mathematical modelling and argumentation and ICT. This three-pronged approach makes it possible to investigate how preservice teachers work through challenges in three different contexts when they are going to teach school students about ACME.

Multilingual language classrooms provide unique opportunities for preservice teachers to utilise the resources that school students bring to their mathematics lessons. Mathematical modelling requires that preservice teachers combine content and didactics when planning and implanting their teaching around critical mathematics education contexts. Integrating ICT requires that preservice teachers understand how digital learning can support school students to develop argumentation for critical mathematics education.

The three subprojects run parallel across the four years of the project. The research method is based on collaborative research between teacher educators, teacher students, teachers and students within an educational design research (EDR) framework in which both theoretical and practical outcomes are expected. All participants´ contributions to EDR processes are to be documented and analysed. The results will then be combined to provide a comprehensive overview of factors that affect learning preservice teachers learning to teach argumentation for critical mathematics education.