Presentation
In my research, I am interested in the school system's responsibility to give all students, regardless of background, the opportunity to learn. I have the subject of mathematics as my specific area of interest. I carry out much of my research in collaboration with teachers and here my research is mainly, but not only, in two areas: Critical perspectives on assessment in mathematics, and Mathematics in relation to other subject areas, mainly vocational subjects in upper secondary school.
Critical perspectives on assessment in mathematics
As I see it, assessment is inevitable in formal education. Sometimes it is explicit through e.g. grades, assessment matrices or development interviews. Sometimes it is more implicit and can then show up in the daily classroom conversation through the teacher's feedback. How the assessment is carried out and with what focus, is important for what is communicated as important to the students. Furthermore, it is through assessment that students are included or excluded in the school's mathematics teaching.
Mathematics in relation to other subject areas
In several projects, I have investigated ways of understanding how mathematics content can interact with contents of vocational subjects. A starting point here is to go beyond a picture of mathematics as the theoretical subject applied in the practical vocational subjects. Instead, it is possible to identify both practical and theoretical aspects in both mathematics and vocational subjects. In research with mathematics and vocational teachers, we have been able to identify such aspects, and also how the subjects can be integrated into each other.
