CAN MODERATE HERMENEUTICS HELP US TO UNDERSTAND LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM?

This theoretical paper proposes that moderate hermeneutics, a theory about human understanding which sees interaction as the exchange of interpretations, has a contribution to make to research in mathematics education.. Moderate hermeneutics is situated within a tradition of thought which often remains at an abstract level. This paper argues that the principles and processes suggested by moderate hermeneutics are useful in considering classroom data, and give us additional insights to those provided by theories currently in use.