A curriculum of mathematical practices

This paper argues for reconceptualising an educational curriculum that locates its primacy in practices. The argument is framed around the core purpose of education: to help people ‘live well in a world worth living in’. Living well and learning about what this means is typically guided by epistemologically based curricula, and conversely, school curricula determine the substance of education. We argue that this understanding of education is too narrow, and as a consequence, it severs the relationship between knowing and practising. We propose that a curriculum of mathematical practices is required for human flourishing, where the focus is on mathematical practices rather than predominantly on knowledge. To demonstrate our position, we consider different kinds of mathematical practices needed during the Covid-19 crisis. We examine how a practice-approach forms the basis for a future-oriented curriculum which might better equip individuals and societies to respond to conditions which disrupt their everyday circumstances.