Despo Panagi

Shame in Mathematics: Turning It on Its Head Despo Panagi

This book focuses on shame: a reaction to other people?s criticisms and an emotional response to knowing and doing mathematics. It is suggested that shame is a crucial feature of primary teachers? professional identity, since it appears to disrupt their relationship with mathematics and a sense of disconnectedness to it. Three factors are being explored as regards to their action on inducing shame, namely the nature of school mathematics, teachers? personal experiences with mathematics and the gendering of mathematics. Furthermore, a discussion for turning shame on its head is attempted. In specific, it is stressed out that there is a need for restructuring primary teachers? professional identity by creating conditions under which mathematics is demystified, in order for teachers to (re)connect with the subject. Participating in communities of practice and developing different kinds of relationships are suggested to be productive ways of influencing primary teachers? beliefs, attitudes and emotions about mathematics.