The Centrality of Culture and Community to Participant Learning at and with The Math Forum

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511805080.011

7 - The Centrality of Culture and Community to Participant Learning at and with The Math Forum

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

K. Ann Renninger and

Edited by

Rob Kling and

K. Ann Renninger: Affiliation:
Swarthmore College
Wesley Shumar: Affiliation:
Drexel University
Sasha Barab: Affiliation:
Indiana University
Rob Kling: Affiliation:
Indiana University
James H. Gray: Affiliation:
SRI International, Stanford, California

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Summary

In this chapter, the terms culture and community are problematized, and their centrality to participant learning at and with The Math Forum (mathforum.org) is discussed. Culture, as it is used here, refers to the rituals and norms that come to be associated with a site and its functioning. Community describes recognition of connections to and identification with other participants.

The Math Forum is an interactive and inquiry-informed digital library, or virtual resource center, for mathematics education. Previous chapters have addressed the ways in which The Math Forum has leveraged the concept of community in order to become a dynamic and resource-rich educational site (Renninger & Shumar, 2002; Shumar & Renninger, 2002). In the present chapter, this analysis is taken a step further. The culture of The Math Forum is described as providing its participants with a unique set of opportunities for learning and for making the relationship between the individual and the community one in which individual and community needs can both be met. Site culture enables contributions from individuals that by definition help to build out and sustain this community.

Math Forum participants include Math Forum staff members and a mix of teachers, students, and other individuals such as parents, software developers, mathematicians, math educators, professionals, and tradespeople, many of whom also volunteer their time as mentors for the site. Participants differ not only in terms of their roles, but in their experience, level of expertise, and interest for mathematics (Renninger & Shumar, 2002).

Type: Chapter
Information: Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning , pp. 181 - 209

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805080.011 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2004

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