Mathematics From Pesrpective of Critical Sociology

8/9/2019 Mathematics From Pesrpective of Critical Sociology

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Mathematics from pesrpective of

Critical Sociology

Sikunder Ali Baber

[email protected] Autnoma de Barcelona


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Paying attention to the cultural Practice that

produce mathematics


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Socially constructed fear associated with theLearning of Mathematics

Distancing people from learning and devaluingmathematics- to put them at disadvantageousposition vis--vis their needs ofunderstanding, interpreting, creating

meanings and actions within the complexworld where practices of mathematics hascolonized the world.


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Critical mathematics education is suggesting

that understanding of mathematical principles

is very critical in order to remain an active

participant of this increasingly globalized

world. Moreover, these principles are not

devoid of value judgments.


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Banality of Expertise: there are strong chancesthat experts with mathematical knowledgemay misguide us and create troubles in our

life. Autonomy of Learners: how much autonomy

has a learner in formulating knowledge which

addresses not only her/his individual needsbut her/his collective needs as a citizen withinthe society?


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The role of mathematics in the context of the

learners has vital importance for the

preparation of citizens to become critical

citizens.


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Critical Citizenship

Critical Citizenship as part of the Critical Sociology

Social justice: fairness, equity, responsible action Inquiry into Issues: racism, inequality in different

social dimensions (human rights violations,

economic disparity, poverty etc)

Democracy: proportionate representations,

polling, and population


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Complex interplay of situations (For example:

need of critical appraisal and evaluation of the

available information and taking part actively

in the production and dissemination of this

information to a wider public)


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We need both Critical Mathematical Literacy

as well as Critical Literacy


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I see Critical Mathemacy as part of the notion ofMundigkeit elaborated by Ole Skovsmose (1998)

... the Mndigkeitcan be given specific

interpretation, such as the students being able toparticipate in political discussions taking place ina local community. And, most important,Mndigkeitalso includes competence in

investigating decisions with mathematicallyformulated arguments (Skovsmose, 1998, pp.196-199)


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Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy encourages students tochallenge taken-for-granted meanings andtruth about a way of thinking, reading andwriting the world. It works against the notionthat meaning is transparent, neutral andunproblematic. Critical literacy also questionsthe neutrality of power relations within thediscourses.


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In pedagogic terms, students should beencouraged to develop enquiring minds thatquestion the cultural and ideological

assumptions underwriting any text. They alsolearn to investigate the politics ofrepresentation in the discourse, interrogatethe unequal power relations embedded in

texts and become astute readers of the waystexts position speakers and readers withindiscourse (Morgan, 1997, p. 259).


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Within this background, mathematics as an

important human creation can help to provide

critique of different social structures of the

society.


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This is in contrast to the story where mathematicsis conceived of as a neutral discipline. Thischaracterization of mathematics as infallible has

on the one hand led mathematicians to inventcomplicated symbolic languages to handlecomplex models of human thoughts; on the otherhand, it has created space for conceiving

mathematics as being only for gifted people. Inconsequence, a socially constructed fear iscreated and sustained.


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This brought us to conceive of mathematics as

a cultural practice can be related with the

efforts of looking at mathematics as part of

the political project with conflicting interests

and ideologies. This way, citizens have

possibilities to appraise cultural practices that

generate mathematics (Eva Jabonka, 2003).


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Challenges to Educational Practices of

Mathematics

Facing the challenges of the globalized worldwhere there is a critical need to appraise the

cultural practices critically that produces

mathematics


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For example, NCTM reforms

Assumptions:

Students as problem solver and encouraging

students to be engaged in the process where theycan be led to the generalization of mathematicalstatements and see the potential of thesegeneralizations in creating abstract systems.

This assumption leads to looking at mathematicsas part of having essence subsequently valorisingthis essence while creating pedagogy around it


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These assumptions are ideological in nature and thereis political goal behind them:

To see mathematics as part of mathematical sciences

is problematic.T

his designation leads one to conceiveof mathematics as having an essence and it canconceal the traditions and networks of associationsresponsible for the production of mathematics as adiscipline. In this way mathematics has been reduced

to a field which is stable and not changing. That is, itgives an illusion that the future is certain. On thecontrary, the future is uncertain.


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In other words, through the illusion ofproblem solving the participation of learners isregulated by the expertise with an idea that

problem solving increases flexibility. In thisway, the human agency is restricted andcircumscribed by the expertise whose politicalobjective is to stabilize and harmonize the

world of participation. Here expertise retainsits power of defining the domain and practicesof mathematics education.


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In this vein, it is important to consider

mathematics as a field of a cultural practice

that is constituted by an amalgamation of

institutions, authority relations, analogies,

memories and images that are assembled

together in different junctures of time and

places to arrange and categorize objects ofreflection and action (Popkewitz, 2004).


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Thinking of mathematics in this way can direct

our attention to its practices and it could be

considered as a group of techniques for

bringing new kinds of facts to our awareness.

This is one of the challenges that future

mathematics education has to confront when

one wishes to pay attention to critical featuresof the society.


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That is to make familiar strange and make

stranger familiar.

Mathematics From Pesrpective of Critical Sociology

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