The context of workplaces as part of mathematics education in vocational studies: Institutional norms and (lack of) authenticity

Overview & Synopsis

This paper presents an analysis of institutional norms and the authenticity of out-of-school contexts that are reflected in a film about mathematics teaching in a comprehensive in-service vocational studies programme. The analysis was performed through the lenses of a theoretical framework of learning in different contexts and an empirically derived framework of mathematics as part of workplace complexity. The comprehensive in-service programme, which is available on internet, aims to improve mathematics teaching and learning, nationwide in Sweden. Through our analysis, we highlight a dissonance between the pedagogical approach displayed in the film, and how its authenticity may be compromised from the perspectives of our analytical frameworks.