“IT’S ALL CONNECTED” : MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ OPENING CURRICULUM SPACES FOR STUDENTS’ MULTIPLE MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE BASES

This dissertation study investigated secondary mathematics teachers’ designing and enacting lessons to draw on students’ multiple mathematical knowledge bases. The ultimate objective of incorporating open spaces in mathematics lessons is to support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in developing mathematical understanding based on their prior knowledge and life experiences. Despite its potential, such open spaces do not explicitly appear in many commercially published curricula, and teachers are on their own with the responsibility to mobilize curriculum resources to ensure equitable learning opportunities. Applying Skovsmose and Borba’s (2004) model for participatory research in changing mathematics classroom practices, this study engaged two middle school mathematics teachers in collaborative planning and reflection meetings to seek practical ways to integrate students’ multiple mathematical knowledge bases into teachers’ usual interaction with the curriculum. The qualitative analysis examined both how the teachers made decisions on their curriculum use when incorporating open spaces in their daily lessons and how those decisions were influenced by their sense of teacher agency. The findings of this study revealed that as teachers set an instructional goal of providing students with opportunities to draw on their multiple mathematical knowledge bases, they decided to adhere to the curriculum in order to open spaces for mathematical thinking, whereas they adapted the curriculum in order to open spaces for life experiences. The teachers perceived that opening curriculum spaces could reinforce and be leveraged by building rapport with students through informal conversations. The findings of this study also suggest that a collaborative planning group with other teachers can enhance teachers’ agentic engagement in designing and enacting open spaces.