Generating Cultures for Mathematical Microworld Development in a Multi-Organizational Context

This article discusses methodological issues of mathematical microworld development integrated with generating innovation in the school setting. This is done by means of vignettes of key episodes in our eight-year-long experience of developing a component architecture for educational software based on Logo as a scripting language. The vignettes touch on the problems of collaboration between organizations and people of different expertise. They also address issues to do with the school and the classroom as social systems, with the method for implementing innovation and with curriculum design, teaching, and learning. A set of issues that emerged as problematic are outlined and discussed; the different priority systems involved, the amount of investment in collaboration, the differing discourses and epistemologies, the notion of a product, the interdependencies, and the contrast between reform and innovation versus instant fit. It is suggested that awareness needs to be raised as well as methods for dealing with these factors in order to generate cultures developing and using exploratory software.