Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory to understand how emerging technologies can mediate teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom: a review of literature

Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe

doi:10.1186/s41039-019-0110-7

Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-019-0110-7

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to review literature on the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and how it has been used to understand the mediation between emerging technologies and teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom. Specifically, it aimed at understanding the genesis of CHAT and further analyzing the studies that have employed CHAT as an analytical framework for teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom context. Two major concerns arise out of this review. Firstly, CHAT has been synonymously used with Activity Theory, leaving one wondering what actually the difference between the two in terms of researchers’ conceptualization is. Secondly, although CHAT has been widely utilized in education research, scholarly articles that have employed it as their theoretical or analytical frameworks in a mathematics classroom context are still too few and yet still, the few that have utilized it have not exploited its maximum potential. The implications for this review for teachers in Uganda are active student engagement and creation of collaboration spaces for dialogue and interaction in the teaching and learning process.

Highlights

In the recent past, educators have changed their understanding of how learning should happen
Results from the reviewed studies A Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) analysis by Beatty and Feldman (2012) suggested that the primary contradiction within secondary education is a dual view of students as objects of instruction and willful individuals
Hardman (2015) identified 28 evaluative episodes across 22 h of teaching time. She analyzed these episodes using the CHAT coding schedule from which she identified four ideal pedagogical types of tool use, rules, community, object, division of labor, and outcomes. These pedagogical types were reinforcement pedagogy, which had the reinforcement of specialized knowledge as its object; collaborative pedagogy, which had the development of metacognitive engagement with specialized knowledge as its object; directive pedagogy, which had the development of technical task skills as its object; and defensive pedagogy, which had student regulation as its object

Summary

Introduction

Educators have changed their understanding of how learning should happen. Knowledge and context cannot be separated, else knowledge risks being seen by students as a result of learning rather than a set of tools for solving problems in the teaching and learning process (Rowe, Bozalek, & Frantz, 2013) which should engage the students in co-construction of knowledge. According to Vygotsky (1978), social construction of knowledge depends on communicating gradual ideas through a described dialogue in which students learn how to think. One way of engaging students in a dialogue is through the use of emerging technologies (ETs). While Halawey (2013) suggests that technology is regarded as emerging if it is not widespread in a particular context such as place or application, Veletsianos (2016) defines ETs as tools, software, and concepts such as pedagogies that enable sharing instructional materials online. Examples of ETs are social media applications such as discussion fora, Google drive, and blogs (Brown & Gachago, 2013)

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