O'Sullivan, Brendan and Breen, Sinead and O'Shea, Ann (2013) We Never Did This: A Framework for Measuring Novelty of Tasks in Mathematics Textbooks. In: Proceedings : Fifth Conference on Research in Mathematics Education MEI 5. St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, pp. 284-295.

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Abstract

Textbooks are an important resource in Irish mathematics classrooms, which can have both a positive and negative impact on teaching and learning. The Project Maths initiative is prompting teachers and students to cross boundaries and interact with mathematics in ways that had not been considered previously. Publishers have produced new texts in response to the expectations of the revised curriculum and the changed needs of the classroom. This paper presents a framework to consider the degree of novelty presented in tasks found in mathematics textbooks. Novelty is something that has been referred to, yet not addressed directly, in existing frameworks for the analysis of mathematical tasks. A particular strength of our framework is that it takes into account the experience of the solver, as opposed to just focusing on how a task has been structured. Sections of textbooks currently being used in Irish classrooms at second level have been analysed using this framework and the results indicate that while all textbooks incorporate a significant level of novelty, there is still room for more novel tasks to be included.

Item Type:	Book Section
Keywords:	Mathematics Textbooks; Project Maths; Ireland; Mathematics Teaching;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Mathematics and Statistics
Item ID:	6974
Depositing User:	Dr. Ann O'Shea
Date Deposited:	22 Feb 2016 15:11
Publisher:	St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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