Abstracts - Earli

the portfolio instrument. Results of latent-class analyses show the acceptance of this tool differswidely between different groups of teachers. The study yields indicators on requirements that haveto be met in order to effectively use the portfolio as a tool for evaluation. Findings will bediscussed in the light of alternative forms of professional development as well as adequate ways ofevaluating those approaches.G 1930 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 0.100BSymposiumMultiple perspectives on voice and agency in mathematics classroomsaround the worldChair: David Clarke, University of Melbourne, AustraliaOrganiser: David Clarke, University of Melbourne, AustraliaDiscussant: Lieven Verschaffel, University of Leuven, BelgiumThe four studies reported in this symposium represent different but related analyses undertaken aspart of the Learner’s Perspective Study (LPS) (Clarke, Keitel & Shimizu, 2006; Clarke,Emanuelsson, Jablonka and Mok, 2006). The LPS is an international project investigating thepractices and learning outcomes of mathematics classrooms in twelve countries. Among theresearch foci addressed within the LPS are the related issues of voice and agency withinmathematics classrooms. The relative status accorded to student and teacher voice in thenegotiated construction of mathematical knowledge and the associated agency offered within thenorms of classroom practice are key characteristics by which one classroom can be distinguishedfrom another; both within the same country and between cultures. Among the key components ofclassroom practice by which voice and agency are enacted, some of the most critical are: (i) themathematical tasks employed in the classroom, (ii) the form of classroom questioning employed,(iii) student interpretation and participation in ‘lesson events’ and (iv) the distribution ofresponsibility for knowledge generation. Each of these four presentations addresses one of thesefundamental issues, and the application of the associated analyses reveals just how different eachis enacted in classrooms around the world. References Clarke, D.J., Keitel, C., & Shimizu, Y.(Eds.) (2006). Mathematics Classrooms in Twelve Countries: The Insider’s Perspective.Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Clarke, D.J., Emanuelsson, J., Jablonka, E., & Mok, I.A.C. (Eds.).(2006). Making Connections: Comparing Mathematics Classrooms Around the World. Rotterdam:Sense Publishers.A functional analysis of mathematical tasks in Australia, the USA, Sweden, China, Korea andJapanCarmel Mesiti, University of Melbourne, AustraliaDavid Clarke, University of Melbourne, AustraliaTasks have long been recognized as crucial mediators between mathematical content and themathematics learner. The activity that arises as a consequence of a student’s completion of a taskis itself a constituent element of the learning process and the artefacts (both conceptual andphysical) employed in the completion of the task serve simultaneous purposes as scaffolds for– 413 –