In this talk I will argue that, in many communities around the world, socio-ecological challenges faced by communities (such as climate change, drought, pollution) are rapidly getting to the point where they are unavoidable in school classrooms. In such contexts, approaches are needed which consider the social/political and ecological in relation to each other. I will exemplify this idea with one research project currently taking place in the Atoyac River region of Mexico. A socio-ecological perspective also prompts new kinds of questions, even in contexts experiencing relative stability, such as how teaching of maths can provoke systemic insight and wisdom.

Bio:

Alf Coles is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Bristol. His background was in secondary maths teaching and he worked for 15 years engaging in practitioner-research in schools before joining the University in 2010. A theme through his research has been working with teachers, drawing on ideas of enactivism, and drawing parallels between classroom learning and the learning of teachers. The content focus of his research has ranged from the use of video in learning, to early number and, most recently, the implications of socio-ecological challenges such as climate change on the curriculum.