Intersections of Culture, Language, and Mathematics Education: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Abstract

This paper draws from a research agenda focused on the interplay of culture, language and mathematics teaching and learning, particularly in working-class Mexican-American communities in the United States. Drawing on data collected over several years, I emphasize the need for a coordinated effort to the mathematics education of non-dominant students, an effort that involves teachers and other school personnel, the students' families, and the students themselves. Through the voices of parents, teachers, and students, I illustrate the resources that non-dominant students bring to school but often go untapped, and the tensions that this may carry. Following a socio-cultural approach grounded on the concept of funds of knowledge, I argue for the need to develop stronger communication among the interested parties to develop learning experiences in mathematics that build on the knowledge, the language and cultural resources, and the forms of participation in the students' communities.