Strength-Based Pedagogies in Mathematics Education: “I Like Being Your Little Teacher”

This article presents a strength-based, cross-age mentorship program where second and sixth-grade students in a multicultural primary school collaborate in mathematics. The sixth-grade students serve as mentors/tutors for the younger students. Drawing on positioning theory and storylines, we have focused on the mentor’s outcome, specifically how the program can help mentors position themselves as mathematics learners. The study presented is a single study based on observations and subsequent interviews with twenty students and their two teachers. The identified storylines suggest that well-structured strength-based cross-age collaboration in mathematics can create learning-focused relationships and learning contexts that enrich mentors (and mentees) both socially and academically. In this strength-based learning environment, mentors are valued for their personal strengths and mathematical proficiency, allowing them to experience a sense of achievement and pride. Keywords: strength-based pedagogies, cross-age collaboration, multicultural mathematics education, positioning theory, mentoring, classroom tensions