The development of socio-mathematical agency

In this paper we report on the development of ‘socio-mathematical agency’ (SMA), a concept which was introduced at the previous CERME12 conference. We summarise our initial conceptualisation of SMA, justifying its importance and highlighting its three components: powerful mathematical knowledge; critical understanding of mathematics; and collective mathematical agency. We report on a collaborative research project with six teacher researchers that aimed to operationalise SMA in the primary school classroom setting. We present findings from statistical analyses of responses to a survey designed to measure sense of agency relating to SMA and from thematic analyses of teacher researchers’ reflections on their students’ agentic behaviour relating to SMA during interviews and research team meetings. We conclude that the concept of SMA warrants serious consideration and further attention should be given to refining and developing its conceptualisation.