The International Lexicon Project involves research teams from Australia, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan and the USA. The project aims to document the naming systems employed by different communities speaking different languages to describe the phenomena of the mathematics classroom. The theoretical position adopted by this project is that our experience of the world, our engagement in socio-cultural practices, and our reflection on those experiences and practices are mediated and shaped by available language. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that our lived experience is mediated significantly by our capacity to name and categorize our world (Sapir, 1949). While a professional language of teaching practice seems lacking in the USA (Lampert, 2000), such a language seems to be well-established among educators in China and Japan (Fan, Wong, Cai & Li, 2004; Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004). Local researchers and experienced teachers in nine countries viewed a common set of video records of eighth-grade mathematics lessons drawn from all participating countries. This activity stimulated the identification of those terms in the local language of each team that constituted the national pedagogical lexicon with respect to the teaching of middle school mathematics (ages 11 to 14). The key prompt used by all teams was: “What do you see that you can name?” Once a term was identified and endorsed by the local team, an operational definition was constructed of the specific classroom phenomenon. The essential point was to record single words or short phrases that are familiar and widely used by teachers within that country with a consistent and agreed meaning. A process of local and then national validation was completed to refine and ratify each lexicon. The Australian National Lexicon consists of 63 terms that are familiar and in widespread use. The operational definition of each term consisted of a description together with examples and non-examples. In consultation with practicing teachers, the lexical items were organized in five categories: Administration (8 terms); Assessment (11 terms); Classroom Management (6 terms), Learning Strategies (27 terms) and Teaching Strategies (50 terms). A lexical item appeared in more than one category if there was astrong association with each category. One feature of the Australian National Lexicon is that none of the 63 terms identifies a practice unique to the mathematics classroom. The generic character of the Australian Lexicon content suggests that the lexicon might also be applicable to other school settings besides the mathematics classroom.

Fan, L., Wong, N., Cai, J., & Li, S. (Eds.) (2004). How Chinese learn mathematics: Perspectives from insiders. River Edge, NJ: World Scientific. Fernandez, C. & Yoshida, M. (2004). Lesson study: A Japanese approach to improving mathematics teaching and learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Lampert, M. (2000). Knowing teaching: The intersection of research on teaching and qualitative research. Harvard Educational Review, 70(1), 86–99. Sapir, E. (1949). Selected writings on language, culture and personality. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.