Uncovering the way a textbook may position the math learner

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How you respond to the examples given here -- as a teacher and as a former student

 This article was very interesting.  As a student, I didn't question the language and drawings in the text books.  But I definitely felt the 'hedges' and certainty or uncertainty of some phrases.  I grew to like the commanding language of the text as it gave me reassurance that I was moving in the right direction.  Conversely, I don't like the idea at all for my future math students.  A teacher needs the language to be approachable - for the students not to feel as though they are 'pawns' so that they can have a conversation about the math and the options.  To that end, I missed out in my math study in that there was no room for conversation.  So I didn't develop the skills to speak about the math problems.  In this program, using the problem solving approach forces a conversation about the problem.  This extends student knowledge and understanding.

 What are your thoughts about the reasons for using/ not using textbooks, and the changing role of math textbooks in schools?

 Math textbooks serve a useful role in the math classroom - they provide an overview/review of the concepts and they provide problems for students to work through.  However, these activities could be addressed by other means.  For example there are many different math workbooks available and these are a great tool for practicing problems.  But in addition to practice, students may also benefit from having some review of the concepts.  This could be accomplished in the workbooks or in other texts.   I have seen a couple of workbook styles and they present problems in such a way to not be demeaning to the students.  They avoid modality as it relates to humans and math.  The point is to have the texts, in some form, be approachable and relevant.  The texts keep getting revised but they continue to resemble texts from mid-twentieth century.  It's time to mix things up a bit putting the needs of the student in the center.

Comments

  1. Susan GerofskyNovember 25, 2019 at 11:53 AM

    Very nice, Sue! I'm interested in the way that the authoritative stance of the textbook can be both reassuring (for you as a young student) and oppressive (treating learners like pawns). I would be very interested in hearing more about your ideas about mixing things up a bit! We'll have time to talk about this in class today.

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