The Pakistani society is predominantly a Muslim society also divided along the lines of gender with sharply defined gender roles and responsibilities. Research schools were from the Talukas (sub-district unit) of district Thatta, which is among the most poverty-ridden districts in country. Of the 14 high schools in the district, four schools participated in the project. University based researchers worked with mathematics teachers to introduce a problem solving curriculum in rural and urban mathematics classrooms. Teachers worked through mathematics problem solving tasks taken from the school mathematics curriculum and subsequently introduced them in their classrooms. As part of the problem solving process students were expected to use the solution strategies they found suitable and explain them to others in the group and in the classroom. The emphasis on enabling students to use their own solutions, and explain solutions in their own words was to enable students to reason through their mathematics and rationalize their thinking.

Accumulated insights from researching with teachers in action research cycles showed that working as participant in classrooms reforms and not as implementers of classroom reform enabled the teacher-researchers and university-researchers to question and challenge some deep rooted beliefs and practices thereby creating space for alternative approaches to mathematics teaching and learning.

For example, teachers regarded boys as inherently better mathematicians. In response to a question “boys are better mathematicians. Do you agree? Justify your answer’ several responses were along the following lines:

To some extent I agree with this. And probably the reason for it is that Allah has made man superior to a woman. It is natural that from childhood they (boys) ask questions why, what, how. And comparatively, you explain to the girls and they accept it. They have curiosity but from the start that element of curiosity is bounded so that it stops. This is the reason that our experience tells us that boys learn better.

Yes, boys are better mathematicians because they think in (sic) deeply and try to find better solutions

However, engaging in systematic reflection over their own histories as mathematics learners exposed the implicit bias towards boy learners, ultimately leading to development of equitable instructional sequence (for details Halai 2007 )

Similarly, teachers claimed that teaching is a “holy profession” and it is their moral responsibility to “demonstrate good mathematics practice” for students to “observe and follow”. This social and cultural setting resulted in teachers’ particular interpretation of their roles and those of their students. Hence, they did not feel comfortable in “letting go” the centre position in the classroom and provide space to the students to engage in analysis and rationalization of mathematics which was the essence of the problem solving process. But action research process empowered the teachers mathematically through providing them with space to engage in the problem solving process, reflect on their role as learners, thereby enabling them to recognize the need for mathematical empowerment of students with a concomitant change in student’s role from a follower to a problem solver.

The discussion so far shows the need to recognise the social and cultural dimensions of reform in mathematics classrooms which turns reform ideas into culturally mediated practice. Thus, improving the quality of mathematics teaching is not just a cognitive process rather it is a value laden exercise inextricably linked with cultural and social values of what constitutes good mathematics and good mathematics teaching.

This research has strong implications for mathematicians, mathematics educators and policy makers because national reform initiatives recognize the power of mathematics as a gateway to progress for social mobility and empowerment. However, there is a range in priorities and focus in these reform initiatives. For example, NCTM standards documents have articulated social justice goals from the very beginning . But many national reform initiatives still focus primarily on cognitive processes through introduction of problem solving, investigations and similar teaching & learning strategies . As shown above underpinning reform oriented approaches are values regarding the content and process to be mastered, perceptions of good teachers and students with concomitant roles and responsibilities. Participatory approaches to classroom reform are the way to mathematical empowerment of learners in disadvantaged setting and mathematical empowerment is a necessary component of social and economic empowerment of the disadvantaged.