Current changes in primary education : The issue of "different" in a mathematics primary school classroom
Abstract
In the setting of the transformation of our societies to be multicultural ones, we intend in this paper to examine situations in a mathematics classroom where respect and exclusion of the 'different' co-exist. Conducting an instrumental case study, we follow two Grade 4 groups while solving a mathematics generalization task.
We are examining how interaction that took place between the members of the teams mirrors the two faces of the same coin (i.e., the culture of the classroom) and at the same time reflects the change in primary classroom that necessitates openness and genuine respect to the 'different'. On the one hand, we will demonstrate the dynamic of the harmony that was apparent between the members of one of the groups since the 'different' was not a barrier but a source of mathematical ideas that contributed to the solution.
On the other hand, the lack of openness in the other group resulted in missing good opportunities for 'doing mathematics' and put at risk the self-confidence of one of its members.