ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a slight shift of focus from studying communication or use of language in mathematics classrooms to conceptualising mathematics classroom practices themselves as forms of communication. Theoretical resources are identified that can support and enrich the development of such a conceptualisation and provide methodological tools for research that can provide new insights in the field of mathematics education. These theoretical resources bring together: Halliday’s social semiotics to perceive communication as involving making functional choices; Sfard’s communicational theory to characterise mathematical discourse; and Bernstein’s notion of pedagogic discourse to understand how participation in classroom communication is shaped by social structures and norms. Implications for mathematics education research are discussed, including a reformulation of some core questions in the field. Two examples are presented, illustrating possible directions for research taking such a communicational perspective.
