ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two key contexts: educational research and educational policy. It explores that the role of the New Labour government had in shaping education in England. The New Labour government introduced a wealth of polices and initiatives that had a significant impact upon English education and the maths classroom. The chapter looks at how government policy and educational research work to normalise the mathematics classroom. It argues that mathematics education research is preoccupied with exploring teaching for understanding and more often than not develops a blinkered, romantic approach to this concept. The chapter compares this to educational policy where understanding is less of a priority. It utilizes an example of a primary education student teacher to show how these positions (or discourses) can be problematic for the teacher, the students and the classroom. Although based around primary education, these arguments are transferable to secondary education.
