Grubb, Margaret A.2011-01-042011-01-0420102011-01-04http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3181The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to (re)think my conceptions of teaching and learning mathematics. Using van Manen’s (1991) cycle of reflection, Jardine, Friesen, & Clifford’s notions of abundance (2006b), and Aoki’s (2005 [1993]) notions of “decentering the center”, I explored teaching vignettes that pointed to four sites of tension within my lived experiences as a mathematics educator: (a) instrumental vs. relational knowledge; (b) linear vs. recursive relationships between concrete and abstract mathematical experiences; (c) fixing mistakes vs. justification of mathematical thinking; and (d) problem solving vs. problem posing. The three common themes that arose were identified as: (a) my desire to enhance my understanding of mathematics; (b) the importance of occasioning time for students to interact in the mathematics classroom; and (c) my obsession with teaching to the test. I brought each site of tension and theme into conversation, drawing on relevant literature within curriculum studies and mathematics education. During the reflective process, not only did I experience a transformation in my conceptions of teaching and learning mathematics, but also in many fundamental ways my entire being was transformed.enAvailable to the World Wide WebMathematics EducationConceptual UnderstandingReflectionInterconnections/RelationshipsAutoethnographyproject