School Mathematics: Discourse and the Politics of Context

The aim of this chapter is to provide a sociological framework for the issues that influence mathematics classroom discourse and practice across varying contexts. The discussion locates these issues within the broader social domain at various levels of discourse and does not limit the discussion to classroom configurations and interactions only. My arguments address concerns about the way in which students, teachers and members of the pedagogic communities are socially constructed in relation to mathematics discourse and practice and how these instantiate themselves within classroom communication, practices and the differentiated forms of mathematics knowledge which are made available to them