Listening to Students ’ Voices in Mathematics Education

The essence of the demand for freedom is the need of conditions which will enable an individual to make his own special contribution to a group interest, and to partake of its activities in such ways that social guidance shall be a matter of his own mental attitude, and not a mere authoritative dictation of his acts. (John Dewey) In many tertiary institutions, mathematics education staff teach courses from early childhood education through to professional development courses at Masters level. Similarly, research into teacher education processes spans these contexts. Common principles that underpin this work include staff willingness to be responsive to students’ needs. This symposium focuses on the importance of listening to students ’ voices in mathematics teaching and research – no matter how old students are. The “voices ” (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986, p. 7) in the 3 following papers are those of primary, secondary, and tertiary students. “Listening”, here, includes a range of research activities, including interviews, stimulated recall discussions, and written surveys. Doig and Groves interviewed a group of Year 5 and 6 students, seeking their thoughts on effective teaching practices in mathematics. Williams ’ interview with a Year