The emerging and emergent present: a view on the indeterminate nature of mathematics lessons

Abstract

The notion of emergence has considerable currency in mathematics education. However, the notion tends to be used in a descriptive way rather than being theorized and developed as a phenomenon sui generis. The purpose of this article is to contribute to building a theory of emergence. After providing an exemplifying description and analysis of an episode from a second-grade mathematics classroom studying three-dimensional geometry, we discuss implications for theoretical and classroom praxis in mathematics education, especially for the curriculum planning and the preparation, training, and enhancement of teachers of mathematics.