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This paper is about how immigrant bilingual students use their languages in the learning of mathematics. Our research has been with immigrant bilinguals in Catalonia, Spain, who arrived at a young age from South-American countries. We use a critical sociolinguistic approach, which draws on social theory in the analysis of how language is involved in the construction of teaching and learning opportunities. Our data point to the differences in the ways that the Spanish dominant bilingual students use their two languages during their engagement in mathematical activity. The shifts from Catalan to Spanish, and from Spanish to Catalan, coincide with shifts in the complexity of the students' mathematical practices. The students tend to use the two languages for different purposes, depending on the complexity of the mathematical practices, and in relation to different social settings that coexist within the classroom. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 3 footnotes.)

In this article I explore how teachers and learners position themselves in relation to use of language(s) in multilingual mathematics classrooms. I draw from two studies in multilingual mathematics classrooms in South Africa. The analysis presented shows that teachers and learners who position themselves in relation to English are concerned with access to social goods and positioned by the social and economic power of English. They do not focus on epistemological access but argue for English as the language of learning and teaching. In contrast, learners who position themselves in relation to mathematics and so epistemological access, reflect more contradictory discourses, including support for the use of the their home languages as languages of learning and teaching.

This article explores the complex relationship between language and mathematics education in multilingual settings by presenting an analysis of one lesson from a multilingual primary mathematics classroom in South Africa taught by an appropriately qualified and experienced teacher. English emerged as a dominant language in this classroom, and this dominance was accompanied by procedural mathematics discourse. The learners' home language functioned mainly as the language of solidarity, whereas English functioned as the language of mathematics, authority, and assessment. The article argues for the need to recognize and acknowledge the political role of language when conducting research into the relationship between language and mathematics education in multilingual classrooms. The article draws implications for making critical, influential decisions about curriculum, assessment, and teacher education. (Contains 2 figures.)

In his article, A class act -- Mathematics as filter of equity in South African schools, Michael Kahn analyses South African data from matriculation examinations and draws on and re-examines previous analyses he himself has done. This document highlights the important insights into participation and performance in mathematics in South Africa that Kahn's article provides.

This article explores some of the ethical and political issues of researching teaching and learning in schools. The article specifically focuses on the relationship between the researcher and teachers. Within educational research the political and ethical questions concerning the relationship between researchers and teachers have pivoted on notions of working "with" as opposed to "on" teachers. This article takes issue with the dichotomising between doing research "on" and doing research "with" teachers because it posits power as being unidirectional. The article argues for a reciprocal power relationship between teachers and researchers.

Explores policy, practice, and research issues related to teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms in South Africa. Focuses on code-switching in multilingual mathematics classrooms. Points to the significance of language as power in mathematics education settings. Demonstrates the need for researching the relationship between language and the teaching and learning mathematics in South African classrooms from a political perspective. (KHR)

Describes and discusses the language practice of mathematics, science, and English language teachers and learners in a sample of urban and rural, primary, and secondary schools in South Africa. Particular focus is on reception and production of language through code switching, exploratory talk, and discourse specific talk. (Author/VWL)