Understanding and Improving Mathematics Instruction Through a Cultural Lens

The research and development of mathematics instruction is one of the key topics in mathematics education. It is also a topic area in which Edward Silver has made tremendous efforts over the years to generate knowledge through funded projects and scholarly publications. One scholarly work is a successful volume on this topic, Transforming Mathematics Instruction: Multiple Approaches and Practices (Li et al. Transforming mathematics instruction: Multiple approaches and practices. Springer, 2014a), that he coedited and was published by Springer in 2014. In this chapter, we aim to build upon the published volume by focusing on cultural relevance in mathematics instruction. Specifically, we highlight the importance of understanding mathematics instruction as viewed both within and across cultural contexts, with examples of research involving China and the United States. Making cultural relevance explicit in mathematics instruction helps illustrate the value and limitations of learning from different cultural contexts, which contributes to improving mathematics instruction in one’s own cultural context.