Folding Back to Collect and Language-Switching: A Case Study of Tongan Bilingual Mathematics Teachers

• In Event: Division C Section 1C: The Role of Language in Mathematics Educations

Abstract

I am among many who are driven by the question of what it means to understand a mathematical concept in different situations, and of how we might improve teaching. This study builds on that to explore bilingual teachers’ use of ‘language switching’ within a mathematics classroom setting, and extends the work of Martin’s (2008) notion of folding back in further describing Pirie-Kieren Theory – the study’s theoretical framework. Video case study was chosen as the methodology, and data was collected from August to November 2019 and included classroom video recordings and interviews with grades 7-9 teachers in two high schools in Tonga. The cross-cultural focus may be relevant to the educational implications of indigenous or minority language use in North America.

Author

• Sitaniselao Stan Manu, University of the Fraser Valley