Attending to others’ mathematical ideas: a semiotic alternative to logocentrism in bilingual classrooms

Abstract

Educational research tends to overemphasize spoken language as the main resource when attending to others’ ideas. In this paper, we problematize hegemonic assumptions of such a logocentric approach and its narrow scope. As an alternative, we propose a semiotic ideology, which focuses on the interplay among multiple semiotic resources, both linguistic and nonverbal. We argue that a semiotic ideology broadens what attending to others’ mathematical ideas in whole class settings entails. Recognizing bilingual children’s heightened sensitivity to nonverbal semiotic resources, we center bilingual classrooms as privileged sites to learn about a semiotic ideology. We draw on data from a third-grade Spanish-immersion classroom to illustrate considerations of temporality, materiality, and participant roles. We call for a continued search for intentional and creative ways to attend to the ideas of those with whom we do research.