Discussion 4
The Development of Mathematics Textbooks: Historical reflections from a personal perspective. – Geoffrey Howson
Summary
Howson critically examined the role, development, and use of textbooks over time. According to him, textbooks have not only played a great part in curriculum development but more importantly have provided teachers with a coherent framework to guide their work. From 1950 through to 1960, other sources apart from textbooks which were in the form of apparatus were used to support teaching and learning. In the 1960s, the Nuffield Primary Mathematics Project in the United Kingdom who expressed fear on basing lessons on a textbook still supported teachers with textbooks. They, however, believed teachers’ guide could be more appropriate for teachers. Questions about the desired relationships between the teacher, pupils, and textbook were also raised.
Stop 1 It amazes me that despite being an educational psychologist in Mathematics, Richard Skemp unsuccessfully wrote his own series of textbooks. He wished he had joined the School Mathematics Project (SMP) team and offered his cognitive ideas. This means that however good one is in Math, getting together with other mathematicians helps increase the quality of ideas. Jo Boaler (2015) termed this as ‘the Collaboratory nature of mathematicians’ (pg. 26). I can use this example to encourage group work among my students.
Stop 2 It is an undeniable fact that the way parents were taught in their time could not be the same today. Things have evolved and sometimes, most parents wish education nowadays are back to the basics. In writing a textbook, how does the author assume that parents will be able to teach their children at home when parents’ teaching and learning are quite different? Is parents’ guide necessary just as we have the teachers’ guide?
ReferenceBoaler, J. (2015). What’s Math Got to Do With it? Published by the Penguin Group (USA) LLC, New York.
Yes, Milli, I completely agree with you that getting together with other mathematicians helps increase the quality of ideas!
ReplyDeleteOh, that is interesting. I like your idea of a parents' guide, just like we have teachers' guides! My previous school used to offer a parent coffee during which our AP would talk to parents about how we're teaching mathematics. She would show parents sample problems and talk to them about the kind of mathematical thinking, modelling, and communicating we were expecting from students. However, the attendance at these parent coffees wasn't often very high. Maybe a parents' guide would be a good way to bridge this gap.
Hi Milli, I agree with the author that textbooks could support teachers’ teaching and are more suitable for teachers. For parents, they may not be good at math, they might have bad math experience. As Jo Boaler mentioned in her book, a mother says to her daughter she wasn’t good at math, and then her daughter’ math achievement goes down. Parents’ guide is necessary but it is very easy to influence their children. So it is important for parents to be enthusiastic and positive when they are working with children. So I came up with the idea that textbooks are not only for teachers and students but also for parents. I find that there are many interesting activities in the textbooks, which may be appropriate for parents and children to establish connections in mathematics.
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