<b>On language, mathematics and knowledge building: some reflections on educational practice</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascihumansoc.v29i1.140

Abstract

The easiness by which we use language to communicate with others and to interpret what others say leads us to believe that language is transparent and of immediate comprehension. Linguistic studies, however, show that such transparency is illusory since the mother language is rife with indeterminations, ambiguities and dual meanings. Such reflections become even more important when we consider the classroom and the interactions that take place through language. This is because in school communication, the differences between the subjects involved, as long as mother language and specific knowledge are concerned, are part and parcel of every day situations. Therefore, it is important for the Math teacher to listen to the students and leave them at ease to expound their doubts and formulate their questions. Grounded on the results of research in mathematical education field, the objective of this paper is to discuss whether the communication which takes place in the classroom between the subjects in the educational process by means of language favors or not the building of mathematical knowledge by the students.