ERIC Number: EJ1028256
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Nov
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-8251
EISSN: N/A
Mathematical Micro-Identities: Moment-to-Moment Positioning and Learning in a Fourth-Grade Classroom
Wood, Marcy B.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, v44 n5 p775-808 Nov 2013
Identity is an important tool for understanding students' participation in mathematics lessons. Researchers usually examine identity at a macro-scale: across typical classroom activity and in students' self-reports. However, learning occurs on a micro-scale: in moments during a lesson. To capture identity in these moments, I used positioning theory to develop a framework of micro-identity and then to examine the identities and learning of 1 fourth-grade student during 1 mathematics lesson. This study demonstrates how mathematical identities can shift in dramatic ways in response to minor changes in context so that a student might be, in one moment, engaged in an identity that undermines learning and then later engaged in an academically productive identity. These shifting micro-identities have important implications for mathematical learning, classroom contexts, and macro-identities.
Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Elementary School Mathematics, Grade 4, Identification (Psychology), Self Concept, Mathematics Skills, Video Technology, Observation, Mathematical Concepts, Classroom Communication, Mathematics Activities
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A