Beswick, Kim; Watson, Anne and De Geest, Els
(2010).
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-010-9248-3 |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
We draw on two studies of mathematics departments in 11–18 comprehensive maintained schools in England to compare and contrast the insights provided by differing theoretical perspectives. In one study, activity theory was used to describe common features of the work of three departments. In the other, a mathematics department was viewed and analysed as a complex system. In both cases, it was the learning of the departments as systems rather than of individuals that was of interest. The affordances and limitations of the analytical perspectives are discussed. Taken as a whole, this paper opens up the workings of school mathematics departments in a country which has a strong department culture.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. |
| ISSN: | 0013-1954 |
| Keywords: | mathematics departments; activity theory; complexity theory; systems |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Mathematics and Statistics Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) |
| Interdisciplinary Research Centre: | Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET) |
| Item ID: | 23237 |
| Depositing User: | Els De Geest |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2010 13:06 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2016 13:46 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/23237 |
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