The main aim of this paper is to propose a critical view of the application of Toulmin's model of argument to mathematics education, focusing on aspects that have strong teaching implications. It is claimed that Toulmin's description of arguments in mathematics, in particular as regards the relations between form and meaning, is misleading and out…

This study investigated the use and functions of metadiscourse markers in English as a foreign language (EFL) virtual classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study examined which metadiscourse markers--interactive or interactional--were used more frequently and how they were employed in an EFL context. It explored two interactive metadiscourse…

This article engages speculatively with Rachel Tonkin's award-winning work of children's literary non-fiction "Leaf litter: Exploring the mysteries of a hidden world" as a potential text for study in the primary or secondary literacy/English classroom. It considers the affordances and issues that may accompany teaching this text, and the…

The literacy demands on our students in the contemporary digital age goes beyond the reading of linguistic texts to include the viewing and representing with multimodal texts that make meanings across semiotic modes. Students need to possess multiliteracies to navigate the complex multimodal communication landscape and schools are responsible to…

This article examines African American rhetorical feature use in the secondary literacy classroom. It explores the historical evolution and pedagogical implications of incorporating African American rhetorical features into classroom writing instruction. The article discusses the historical evolution of African American Language and its position…

This article argues that provisional language is important for creating a dialogic space between speakers, where ideas are open for discussion; where participants respect each other's viewpoints; and where the goal is to encourage and explore multiple perspectives. Whilst much of the research on children's talk in the classroom focuses on the…

Translanguaging theory and pedagogy have emerged as central to the recent multilingual turn in educational linguistics and language teaching, including ELT. This article will explore translanguaging from theoretical and practical perspectives, aiming to clarify what it is and is not claiming, and what types of pedagogic practice it advocates, both…

Having recently completed my first decade in China's Normal System, in this Point of Departure (PoD) I explore precarity in higher education teaching using four tools: "slipstream," "fugia hacia adelante," "exophony," and autoethnography. This is an exploration in the form of a structured performance of precarities…

Trickle-down economics is a fallacious metaphor that hurts working people and the civic commons. In this paper, we discuss the role and impact metaphors have in economics education. We explore the stickiness of "truthy" but ultimately false metaphors and offer economics educators alternative metaphors to displace this problematic…

A number of scholars have shown the prevalence of multiple metaphors in biological conceptions of the living cell. However, there is little research into unpacking these metaphors to understand their ideological implications for scientific knowledge and science education. In this paper, I perform a critical discourse analysis of the representation…

The focus of this review paper is on the assessment of English Language Learners (ELLs) and the ways in which the language gap negatively influences ELLs in classroom assessments. The research body provides an outline of differentiated instruction and assessment highlighting the primary obstacles that hinder ELLs from achieving success in various…

This theoretical paper examines views about the role of language and mathematical discourse in learning mathematics. Current research is still addressing what constitutes a mathematical discourse. As new conceptions of the purpose of language use in mathematics are explored, and associated ontological and epistemic positions are revealed, one…

Measuring lexical diversity in texts that have different lengths is problematic because length has a significant effect on the number of types a text contains, thus hampering any comparison. Treffers-Daller et al. (2018) recommended a simple solution, namely counting the number of types in a section of a given length that was extracted from the…

In a series of articles critical of aspects of the idea of translanguaging, MacSwan (e.g. 2022) has suggested that "deconstructivism" has derailed the translingual project. This paper draws attention to a number of weaknesses in this argument that are important for taking critical questions about language seriously. The term…

The invention of composition as a required course in the United States, a booming textbook industry, and an increased focus on nationalism perpetuated the standardizing of English language practices and curriculums in secondary and postsecondary schools in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Composition textbooks circulated both standard…