Mapping Shifting Discourses in Classroom Talk Through Indexical Discourse Analysis: From the World of Mathematics to the World of Work

Abstract

In this paper, we outline how indexical discourse analysis coupled with an ethnomodelling framework can be used to analyse mathematical modelling interactions by making visible the interrelationship between the ideologies of the real world and mathematics. We illustrate this position by sharing classroom-based data of students’ ideas while considering business profitability problems. We investigate: How does focusing on indexical terms within classroom talk aid a researcher in detecting subtle shifts in discourse that represent different discursive worlds? We highlight how the teacher’s particular scaffolds shifted students’ work from solving an application task into a mathematical modelling inquiry.