The Four 4s Challenge: A Narrative Inquiry into the Mathematical Curriculum Making of a Child

This article is based on research around the experiences of Chen, a Grade 2 student that shows his lived curriculum in the context of his school and home. This narrative inquiry is grounded in curriculum making and includes field texts in the form of Stavros’s notes from our in-person sessions (prior to the covid pandemic), video recordings of Microsoft Teams conversations (during the pandemic), and some of his solutions to the Four 4s Challenge. For this paper, we illustrate the experiences coming to meet Chen, and the complexities and tensions around his lived curriculum as a strong mathematics student. Our intention is to provide insight into student-centred curriculum making.