The clearings of authentic learning in mathematics.

Abstract

This study is a hermeneutical phenomenological qualitative investigation of authenticity in mathematics learning. In the applicable literature the uses of the words "authentic" and "authenticity" are found to be problematic. Heidegger's ideas on authenticity are employed to show the many shades of meaning for authenticity. Heuristic methodology was employed to describe the patterns of organization of the experience of authentic learning. Data sources include the researcher's field notes, observations, classroom conversations, student reflections, and student interviews. Descriptions of the experiences of authentic learning were produced using the reflective guidelines associated with heuristic research: initial engagement, immersion, incubation, illumination, explication, and creative synthesis.

The themes found in this research where in strong relationship to one another and were explicated using Heideggerian terminology so as to show their distinctiveness without removing them from the context of the other themes. In the descriptions of the experience of authentic learning four interactive and interrelated themes presented themselves. These themes are called clearings, dynamic spaces where students reveal the patterns of organization for their learning. The four clearings were called: the clearings of mathematics, the clearings of relationship, the clearings of occupation, and the clearings of newness and wonder. The findings of the study make problematic the current use of the words "authentic" and "authenticity" as found in the literature. The findings were also found to relate to current research in curriculum theory. Researcher recommendations for teachers and educational reformers are presented as suggested by this research.