Ecologies of participation in school classrooms

The concept of legitimate peripheral participation was developed by considering informal learning contexts. Its applicability to school classrooms is problematic. This is particularly so when teacher centred and decontextualised procedural practices predominate as they do in 'usual school mathematics' classrooms. By considering the nature of social practice, learning relationships, identity and participation in such classrooms in relation to legitimate peripheral participation as a construct, both these features and the construct itself are explored and critiqued. To understand the complexity and multidimensionality of participation in both formal and informal learning contexts, the concept of ecologies of participation is proposed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.