Visible pedagogy and challenging inequity in school mathematics

This paper reports on the initial findings of a research project aiming to explore ways of addressing concerns regarding the persistent gap in mathematics achievement between children from different socio-economic backgrounds and low levels of engagement of significant numbers of students with school mathematics. It argues that such concerns can be addressed without the need to abandon a commitment towards progressive teaching approaches. It highlights the potential of adopting a critical model of participatory action research for challenging existing classroom practices that contribute towards reproducing inequities in mathematics education. It demonstrates how developing strategies for making progressive pedagogies more visible offers students the chance to become more aware of the intentions of the teacher and what they need to do to be successful in school mathematics.