Socio-cultural differences and sensitivities in the mathematics classroom

We discuss the problems of defining and diagnosing dyscalculia, which from an educational point of view call for broadening the cognitive perspective to be able to develop appropriate tools for educational action in the mathematics classroom. We present the main findings and touch on ongoing studies that are fruitfully using specific newly designed theoretical and practical tools. We then call back into the picture the socio-cultural perspective, showing how it has allowed to unveil previously unseen mechanisms in action in the mathematics classroom. Building on these findings, we suggest the possibility of combining cognitive and social dimensions to study students’ mathematical learning profiles from a socio-cultural perspective. Finally, we show how effective promoting a healthy mathematical classroom culture can be right from the beginning of classroom instruction: a recent study has shown that with educational mat rial and implementation strategies that are well-designed from a socio-cultural point of view and used in the first two years of primary school, it was indeed possible to reduce children’s positivity to diagnostic tests for dyscalculia at eight years old.