E28, Mathematikgebäude

How do we teach students to have enquiring minds, wondering and wandering minds, so they embed mathematical ideas and ways of thinking, into their own lived experiences? That will not happen unless we use language well. We need to become very aware of the different types of languages at our and our students’ disposal; different aspects of language, and the varieties of ways we can use these to lead our students to deep learning of mathematical ideas. In this session I will briefly sketch in some of the key research studies on how language influences the learning of mathematics. In particular I will reflect on the different multi lingual contexts of teaching mathematics that occurs in different countries, noting at times the compounding influences of different cultural practices. I will then move to contrasting the contexts of teaching mathematics in urban areas of Australia and rural areas of Papua New Guinea, and the differing role language plays.

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Prof. Dr. Philip Clarkson

Australian Catholic University, Brisbane (AUS)