Shifting towards equity: challenging teacher views about student capability in mathematics

Abstract

Persistent inequities in mathematics teaching and learning for specific groups of learners are a key challenge for researchers and educators. The use of ability grouping has been common practice in New Zealand mathematics classrooms. However, many researchers (e.g. Boaler and Wiliam 2001; Zevenbergen in 2003) highlight the negative effects of grouping and lack of opportunities for students placed in low-ability groups. The Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC) project is a whole-school professional development intervention designed to support a shift towards more inclusive and equitable pedagogy in the mathematics classroom. This article examines the changes in teacher beliefs about ability grouping in mathematics classrooms over time as teachers reconstruct their pedagogical practices as part of DMIC. Analysis of teacher and student interview data illustrates the ways in which the shifts in practice at the beginning of the re-invention contrasted with those at the end of the first year. We use an adaptation of Valsiner’s zone theory (Valsiner 1997) to explain how the changed classroom practices supported teachers to enact more equitable practices while also constructing a more expansive view of student capability.