Engaged Reading: A Pathway to Transformative Mathematics Learning

Abstract

Conventional mathematics teaching-learning activity seems unable to foster creative, critical and reflective thinking in learners because it incorporates transmissionist pedagogy. A piecemeal, linear and reductionist approach prevents holistic learning that results in the mindless replica of mathematical knowledge, facts, skills and algorithms. It has socialized the learners into non-questioning roles, helped create and maintain passive identities, germinated feeling of inferiority, and lessened self-confidence and power to control their actions. It also conceals social, cultural, historical, political, affective and spiritual dimensions of mathematics education and its interconnection to real-world problems and develops literacy for 'stupidification' so that learners remain unconscious and unaware of unjust practices, power dynamics and hegemonic ideology. In this context, this editorial explores how to unearth the aforementioned components that restrict the mathematics education within the grips of dominate power structure, hegemonic ideology and pouring pedagogy and aims to envision an alternative empowering and transformative pedagogy. I realize that engaged reading is one of the most significant contributors that liberates mathematics from the 'one-size-fits-all' pedagogy and helps develop the learners' agency so that they can become change agents. Engaged reading incorporates cognitive, affective, academic, and social aspects of learning and illustrates the political (power structure), ideological, cultural and historical embeddedness. Furthermore, this paper illuminates three interconnected roles: - engaged reading as/for critical reflective practices, engaged reading as/for agentic development and engaged reading as/for transformative learning. Finally, I briefly present the overview of the issue.