RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
“You Can't Unring the Bell:” Examining Relationships Between Objects, Tools, and Outcomes From a NIC Working Toward Critical Transformation in Undergraduate Mathematics
Page: 424
Developing reflective practitioners can lead to and sustain new practices in undergraduate mathematics. In this study, we used Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine relationships between objects, tools, and outcomes from a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) seeking to critically transform introductory mathematics. By examining interviews and observer field notes, we found three pathways that connected NIC members’ individual and collective goals (objects), NIC activities and resources (tools), and NIC members’ perspectives on teaching and students (outcomes). We found that sometimes objects, mediated by tools, led to outcomes, but not always. Although the transformation that NIC members envisioned was not realized, the experience shaped their thinking about teaching and students in impactful ways such that “You can’t unring the bell.”