The promise of online mathematics instruction programmes: producing the mathematics learner and school mathematics

ABSTRACT

Mathematics education increasingly happens online and is not bound by the local context. This means mathematics learning and the learner may be defined by international private corporations as well as by national and school curricula. In this paper, I draw on a study of online mathematics instructional programmes used in New Zealand primary schools, specifically: Mathletics, Studyladder, MathsBuddy, and Sumdog. I present an analysis of these popular programmes’ websites in order to interrogate the “promise” of these online platforms, and examine the way in which the mathematics learner identity is produced by the texts and within discourses of neoliberalism and “Ed-tech”. I argue that the websites, pitched at teachers, parents, and learners of mathematics, promote a deficit view of public education (mathematics) and fabricate two types of mathematics learners: the engaged, confident, progressing mathematics citizen, and its fragile other who is lacking.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital curriculum resources
• online mathematics instruction
• educational technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).