This thesis focuses on a mother's perceptions of her younger daughter's
mathematical activity and thought, and how this view affects other areas in
the mother's life. I am the mother, and Jaclyn (Jackie) is my daughter. How,
when, and what mathematizing occurred in our home-life interactions is
explored through the use of ethnographic case study methods. The data
collection started when Jaclyn was three-and-a-half years old and continued
until she was five-and-a-half, during which time I was a full-time teacher of
8- to 10-year-olds. The analysis, interpretation, and author reflections began
immediately and continued long after the anecdotes were recorded.
I provide explanatory glimpses of the mathematical relationships developed
and explored by myself and my daughter as we created our ways of relating to
each other and the world we both inhabit, particularly our home
environment. I reflect upon these incidents to interpret them and to highlight
the mathematical thinking and ways of mathematizing inherent in them, as
well as to examine the mathematics that can develop out of them.
This work offers an in-depth look at what 'found' mathematics is like in one
child's home. Because the whole context of learning is a factor in how and
what people learn, I provide descriptions of the learning situation and the
relationship between myself and my daughter. Jaclyn's developing awareness
of a social and mathematical world is communicated through her words and
actions. These are described and interpreted through my perceptions.
This study also looks at the multiple, and often invisible, interactions among
the roles of mother, teacher, and researcher. I am all three, in different ways,
at different times. Mediation strategies in the home usually reflect my sense of
mothering, but on many occasions it is possible to see my sense of both
teaching and researching informing the role of mother. On other occasions,
the mother influences the thinking of the teacher/researcher. The
reciprocity of attentive educational functioning in the home and in the school
is worthy of notice. On many occasions, reflections about Jackie's words
and/or actions elicited self-reflection on my teaching practice, and such
reflection comprises one central element of the study. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/6029 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Phillips, Marilyn Eileen |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 9865259 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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