Different communities, speaking different languages, employ different naming systems to describe the events, actions, and interactions of the mathematics classroom. The International Classroom Lexicon Project documented the professional vocabulary available to middle-school mathematics teachers in Australia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, and the United States. National teams of researchers and experienced teachers used a common set of classroom videos to stimulate recognition of familiar terms describing aspects of the mathematics classroom. This book details the existing professional vocabulary in each international community by which mathematics teachers conceptualise their practice, and explores the characteristics, structures, and distinctive features of each national lexicon. This book has the potential to enrich the professional vocabulary of mathematics teachers around the world by providing access to sophisticated classroom practices named by teachers in different countries.
This one volume offers separate, individual lexicons developed from empirical research, the capacity to juxtapose such lexicons, and an unmatched opportunity to highlight the cultural, historical, and linguistic bases of teachers' professional language.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The International Classroom Lexicon Project. Chapter 2: Naming Aspects of Teaching Practice: Describing and Analysing a Lexicon of Mathematics Teachers in Australia. 3: Australian Lexicon. Chapter 4: What We Can Name in the Classroom: A Chilean Lexicon of Middle School Mathematics Teachers. Chapter 5: Chilean Lexicon. Chapter 6: Exploring the Lexicon of Middle School Mathematics Teachers in China. Chapter 7: Chinese Lexicon. Chapter 8: Understanding Each Other When Speaking About the Mathematics Lesson: The Professional Czech Lexicon. Chapter 9: Czech Lexicon. Chapter 10: The Finnish Mathematics Teachers’ Lexicon: A Focus on Organisation and Relationships. Chapter 11: Finnish Lexicon. Chapter 12: Identifying the Professional Lexicon of Middle School Mathematics Teachers: The French Case. Chapter 13: French Lexicon. Chapter 14: Documenting and Developing the Current German Lexicon. Chapter 15: German Lexicon. Chapter 16: The Evolving Nature of the Japanese Lexicon in a Tradition of Lesson Study. Chapter 17: Japanese Lexicon. Chapter 18: Identifying and Documenting Korean Middle School Mathematics Classroom Practices. Chapter 19: Korean Lexicon. Chapter 20: A Lexical Snapshot: An Investigation into the Evolving Terminology of Middle School Mathematics Teachers in the United States. Chapter 21: United States Lexicon.
About the Author :
Carmel Mesiti is Research Fellow of the International Centre for Classroom Research (ICCR) and Lecturer in Mathematics Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research has centred on exploring, through international video-based research, the nature of teaching and learning in mathematics classrooms, as well as the differences in pedagogical lexicons of education communities worldwide.
Michèle Artigue is Emeritus Professor at the Université de Paris and Associate Researcher at the Laboratoire de Didactique André Revuz, France. In 2013, Michèle was awarded the Felix Klein ICMI Medal for sustained, consistent, and outstanding lifetime achievement in mathematics education research and development. Michèle’s recent research interest has centred on the building of connections between approaches and theories in mathematics education.
Hilary Hollingsworth is Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Australia. Hilary has over 30 years’ experience working in a wide range of national and international educational contexts including schools, universities, research organisations, government education departments, and private education service organisations. Her research interests include teacher professional learning, video classroom observations, teaching quality, assessing student learning, and communicating student learning progress.
Yiming Cao is Professor at Beijing Normal University and Chair of the Chinese Association of Mathematics Education, China. Yiming has worked throughout his career to improve mathematics education in China. His research interests have included curriculum, assessment, teacher knowledge, and cooperative learning and he currently leads the revision of the Chinese Mathematics Curriculum Standard for compulsory education.
David Clarke was Professor at the University of Melbourne and Director of the International Centre for Classroom Research (ICCR), Australia. David established and led a substantial, internationally-extensive, innovative research programme in video-based classroom research. Over the last 20 years, David’s research activity centred on capturing the complexity of classroom practice in more than 20 countries.
Review :
"The International Classroom Lexicon Project presents an insightful and fascinating exploration of teaching vocabularies. Undertaken within the diverse contexts of authentic, international mathematics classrooms, it investigates the significance of the impact local languages and cultures may have on teaching and learning. By inviting educators to question their perception of this relationship for the first time, this research project has important implications for the understanding of naming of pedagogical practices globally." Sophia Ainalis, middle school teacher, Independent Schools Victoria
"With the growing interest in looking at teaching internationally, the Lexicon research helps educators understand the use of language to describe the craft of teaching. This book provides insights into both the differences in the language used in classrooms across countries and the similarities that unite the teaching profession." Martina Tassone, teacher educator, University of Melbourne
"This book offers mathematics teachers and teacher educators unprecedented access to the didactical and pedagogical lexicon of teachers in countries with very diverse languages and cultures. Reading it is an excellent opportunity to take a step back from our teacher and educator work. It provides new perspectives for reflection on the teaching of mathematics." Blandine Masselin, middle school teacher and teacher educator, IREM of Rouen
"This is a very interesting book, providing valuable insights into the naming systems used by mathematics teachers in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. It offers new perspectives for understanding the structure of mathematics teachers' resource systems, and their sensitivity to this variety of contexts." Luc Trouche, emeritus professor, French Institute of Education, Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon
"This volume reports a fascinating and unique project: fascinating in the way that academics and teachers collaborated to document the professional vocabulary that is used in mathematical classrooms; unique because this endeavour took place in ten different countries across the globe, unveiling differences in pedagogical cultures. By recognising the professional expertise of teachers in their own words, this work makes a landmark contribution to the status of teaching as a profession." Jan van Driel, professor, University of Melbourne
"Overall, this book is an important resource for both mathematics educators and researchers. While there is direct benefit for mathematics educators working in the countries participating in the study, the breadth and depth of examples in each chapter provide extensive examples, and a foundation for all mathematics educators to identify, name and understand mathematics practices in their own countries. The content certainly highlights the complexity of mathematics teaching and learning." Jo Fletcher, Educational Review
