Use and meaning: What students are doing with specialised vocabulary

Words are powerful and give students the ability to communicate mathematical ideas and relationships precisely. Yet not all students are able to access the technical vocabulary encountered in mathematics lessons. Students use mathematical words in various ways and teachers give students different opportunities to both use mathematical language and to develop meanings associated with this language. In this paper we explore how previously low attaining students use mathematical vocabulary during their lessons and how their teachers offered different opportunities for language use. The analysis reveals that there are shifts between developing language use and developing language meaning that depend upon the meaning demonstrated by students in their interactions