Mathematics education and the living world: A dialogic response to a global crisis

Life on Planet Earth is changing in response to the actions of humans to a degree that can be considered a crisis. Mathematics educators have not yet responded adequately to the challenges of this crisis. We propose a relational, dialogic perspective on mathematics education through which mathematics educators can understand and enact their responsibilities. A dialogical stance leads to an ethics calling on our answerability and responsibility in relation to the living world. We use this perspective to reflect on previous research in mathematics education that seeks to respond to environmental issues. We look back to consider work that has addressed the relationship of mathematics and of mathematics education to the living world and draw out links to a dialogical stance. We conclude with questions for research and practice for mathematics education to respond to the ecological crisis.