Negotiating Meaning: A Case of Teachers Discussing Mathematical Abstraction in the Blogosphere

Many mathematics teachers engage in the practice of blogging. Although they are separated geographically, they are able to discuss teaching-related issues. In an effort to better understand the nature of these discussions, this paper presents an analysis of one particular episode of such a discussion. Wenger's theoretical framework of communities of practice informs the analysis by providing a tool to explain the negotiation of meaning in the episode. Results indicate that the blogging medium supports continuity of discussions and can allow for the negotiation of meaning, but that a more nuanced treatment of the construct is necessary. [For the complete proceedings, see ED583608.]