Deliberative Mathematics Education for Social Democratization in Latin America

Latin America is committed to build more democratic social relationships as a part of its current democratization process. Mathematics education is a relevant set of social practices that could contribute to the consolidation of democratic social relationships in the school. This dimension of social interaction in mathematics education as a source of democratization is explored conceptually and is given a practical meaning through the discussion of an inservice teacher education program, which illustrates a deliberative democratic ideology of mathematics education. Kurzreferat: “Deliberative” mathematische Erziehung für eine soziale Demokratisierung in Lateinamerika. Lateinamerika ist dabei, im Rahmen des gegenwärtigen Demokratisierungsprozesses demokratischere soziale Verhältnisse aufzubauen. Mathematische Erziehung ist ein relevanter Teil der sozialen Praktiken, die zur Festigung demokratischer sozialer Verhältnisse in der Schule beitragen können. Diese Dimension sozialer Interaktion im Mathematikunterricht als mögliche Quelle für Demokratisierung wird untersucht. Ein praktisches Beispiel zur Veranschaulichung der “deliberativen” demokratischen Ideologie mathematischer Erziehung wird durch die Diskussion eines entsprechenden Lehrerfortbildungsprogramms gegeben. ZDM-Classification: A40, B50, C60 Introduction One of the current concerns in Latin American countries is democracy. Democracy can be defined as an ideal way of social organization that establishes a series of political, juridical, economic and cultural values, norms and behaviors aiming at providing a better living for the whole population of a given state. This definition highlights a conception of democracy not as an actual reality, but as a goal to reach (Dahl 1989). This distinction allows discerning between theoretical or normative formulations, and the real conditions of social organizations. In this sense, democracy is “what we cannot have but, still, we cannot stop desiring” (Zemelman 1992). This definition also considers four different dimensions of democracy. The political dimension includes the series of procedures to form governments by means of regular, free elections as the corner stone of representative democracy. The juridical dimension sets and protects the different basic legal human rights and duties. The economic dimension deals with the material conditions of living and the organization of the economy by the state. And the socio-cultural dimension which considers the space where democratic values are embedded and embodied in people’ s interactions (Murillo & Valero 1996). Since the late 80’s, Latin America entered the internationalization and globalization processes. Economically, they have forced the insertion of national economies in the international market and the adoption of several neoliberal policies. Politically, they have led to a transition to democracy – for e.g. in Chile and Argentina – and to a democratic progression – for e.g. in Colombia and Costa Rica. But given the negative impact of globalization and internationalization on society, recent democratization efforts have emphasized the spreading and embedding of democratic values in the cultural sphere where social relationships and practices occur. Therefore, my concern in this paper is the socio-cultural dimension of democracy, the sphere of social interactions among people in their everyday life, where common citizens communicate and build their living conditions. This discussion steps on the assumption that mathematics education can contribute to democracy in its different dimensions (Skovsmose 1994, Niss 1996, Mora 1998). But in contrast to other arguments, I claim that special attention should be paid to the basic cultural sphere of interactions among people in the social practices of mathematics education. Since it is precisely in these interactions where values, beliefs and behaviors forge ideologies that transmit and reproduce democratic (or anti-democratic) socialization patterns. In what follows, I will present a reflection about what mathematics education means when connected to democracy. Then, I will present a particular view about how mathematics education relates to democracy. And finally, through the example of an inservice teachers’ professional development program, I will discuss the notions of collective, transformative, deliberative and coflective mathematics education. Mathematics education: social practices and field of knowledge The term “mathematics education” has at least two different connotations: one designates the social practices where the teaching and learning of mathematics actually occur, and the other refers to the field of knowledge where the scientific study of those social practices is carried out (Ernest 1998). A widespread definition of mathematics education as a field of scientific research and knowledge considers that it is the area “covering the practice of mathematics teaching and learning at all levels in (and outside) the educational system in which it is embedded” (Sierpinska & Kilpatrick 1998, p. 29). This statement also defines mathematics education as practices focused on the didactical relationship between teacher and students, which take place mainly in the context of the classroom and which have mathematical content as its constitutive element: “Thus, mathematics and its specificities are inherent in the research questions from the outset. One is looking at mathematics learning and one cannot ask these questions outside of mathematics” (p. 26). The definition given to the field of knowledge determines which practices constitute mathematics education as much as the focus that research has to adopt. These two definitions are problematic when mathematics education for democracy is approached both from the perspective of the field of knowledge and from the realm of social practices. First, the justifications to connect mathematics education to democracy are not only found in the mathematical content, but also and mainly in the social and political factors that constitute the learning and teaching relationships in the classroom, in the school and in society. Second, and as a consequence of the latter, it is necessary