Relating student meaning-making in mathematics to the aims for and design of teaching in small group tutorials at university level.

In a developmental research approach, from a sociocultural position, we address the meanings students make of mathematics in teaching sessions and how this relates to the intentions of the teacher and approaches to teaching. Analyses of data come from small group tutorials of one tutor with first year university mathematics students (n=5). We exemplify using data from one tutorial which addressed concepts in calculus that first year students encounter in their lectures. We explain teaching design and an approach to implementing it, and address issues that arise in practice and how these are related to students' meaning-making of mathematical concepts. Development of ‘knowledge in practice’ is seen alongside that of knowledge in the public domain.