The name is absent

232

BM2

Yes, the Maths and Science curriculum have
to change for multi-cultural.

CMl Has it?

BM2

Well ,

1 would say

for

example

using SMILE

in School B is all part of the notion that

you treat everybody equally - that’s behind
Mixed Ability teaching and SMILE being a
way in which the Maths Department are trying
to do it. It’s all interrelated - it’s very
difficult to isolate one particular bit of
a school. You’ve got to take it all into
consideration.

BSS2

I think I’d argue that the philosophy behind
that sort of pluralist conception of multi-

cultural is
- if that’s
implications
any subject.

essentially an egalitarian one

your

motivation

has wide

for how you teach anything,

BM 2

But having that sort of philosophy as you
have would incorporate the sorts of examples
that CMl has given. You would have black
kids in your examples. In Maths it is important.

CMl

Yes ,

concretely it’s

been bad in the past

that

all the examples

are white or

take

sexism

as another example.

In Maths problems I

can think up one in statistics. Now I think

you ought to stop that as you should little
black Sambo - but Maths as it is, I don’t
think that apart from the improvements that
came along with mixed ability teaching and

teaching people more equally than in the

past I just can’t

see

that

Ulti-Cultural

education can have

such a contribution as

in other subjects.