Learning mathematics through inquiry

Abstract

The role of inquiry in teaching and learning has been discussed for a long time and by many leading educational philosophers and analysts. The purpose of this article is to analyse the assumptions and some of the outcomes of two interrelated and extensive developmental projects in mathematics teaching and learning in Norway. The projects – referred to as the KUL projects (Knowledge, Instruction, Learning) – aimed at introducing the notion of communities of inquiry as a basis for developing mathematics teaching and learning in participating schools, and as a model for organizing developmental work in cooperation between teachers and researchers. In several respects, it seems as if the projects have been successful in the sense that they were accepted by the teachers (especially at lower levels) as a productive mode of engaging in developmental work. In the article, the interpretation of the concept of inquiry in the projects is scrutinized. It is argued that in order to develop our understanding of inquiry processes, detailed analyses of the nature of inquiry in interactional activities in mathematics learning is necessary. It is also argued that the notion of inquiry adopted by the projects is based on a conception where inquiry is seen as a means of learning mathematics better. An alternative conception is to see inquiry as a means of promoting critical thinking in which understanding of mathematics is at the core of the development of more general reasoning skills that play a central role in a democratic society.