Whose Mathematics? Whose Curriculum?

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Whose Mathematics?Whose Curriculum?

• Morwenna Griffiths, Sheila Hamilton
• Tom Macintyre
• University of Edinburgh

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Curricular focus

• Exploratory study to investigate possible factors
  related to participation levels and success rates
  within mathematical studies
• patterns of inclusion or exclusion?

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Scottish context

• Guidelines and Arrangements
• A Curriculum Framework for Children 3-5
• Mathematics 5-14 Guidelines
• Standard Grade Arrangements (14-16)
• National Qualification Arrangements (14-18)
• Curriculum review
• A Curriculum for Excellence (ACE)
• 3-18 Curriculum beyond subjects

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Whose mathematics?

• Functional mathematics?
• Abstract mathematics?
• Text book mathematics?

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Whose Curriculum?

• Text books as an interpretation of the curriculum
• Framing the curriculum (Bernstein)
• Cross-curricular responsibility for Numeracy
  within GTCS Standards
• 1.1.2 Registered teachers have sufficient
  knowledge and understanding to fulfil their
  responsibilities in respect of literacy and
  numeracy

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Methodological approach Discourse theory
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Suspend your belief in the innocence of words
and the transparency of language as a window on
an objectively graspable reality. Maggie
Maclure (2003) Discourse in Educational and
Social Research, Open University Press.
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Content analysis a more linguistic approach
Deconstruction a more discursive approach
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A provisional and constructive epistemology
using two methods, each in conversation with the
other.
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1 An analysis of text books

• Are learners able to see self or their interests
  represented within the text book?

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2 Interviews with teacher educators

• 2.1 How do a range of curriculum specialists in
  secondary teacher education perceive mathematics
  and people who can do maths?
• 2.2 How do they see the overlap of their subject
  with the mathematics curriculum?

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Analysis of textbooks

• Am I represented? Are my interests represented?
• Broad political categories
• gender, race, social class, sexuality (LGBT),
  special needs
• Other self-identifications related to inclusion
  or exclusion
• cool, nerdy, logical, expressive, creative, clever

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Pilot study with Scottish publications for years
10-12

• Nelson Blackie (Blackie-Chambers)
• Mathematics in Action 3B 4B
• TeeJay Publishers
• General Maths 3G 4G
• Int-2-Credit Mathematics Book 1 Book 2

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(1) Analysis of textbooks
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Presentation style

• Text
• Spacing style
• Colour/ BW
• Language
• Images
• Cartoon characters
• Clip Art
• Photographs of real people/ artefacts

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Gender

• Do they favour boys rather than girls?
• How stereotypical?
• Is the textbook gender neutral?
• Are there appropriate male and female role
  models?
• What careers/ occupations are represented?

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Other identity criteria

• Ethnicity
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Social class

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Questions for further discussion

• What do the two textbooks say about appealing to
  young people in general across ability ranges?
• Would creative and expressive people prefer
  coloured fonts and better layout?
• Does clip art imagery detract the gifted and
  talented from the job in hand and is it viewed as
  tokenistic?
• What part do textbooks play in overall experience
  of studying mathematics and framing of the
  curriculum?

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(2) Interviews
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ART Money. Pure algebra, Pure number. Basic
geometric shapes, squares, triangles Space,
position and movement Space, time,
Tessellations, Repeating patterns half drop
repeats, Weighing and working out the
proportions Measurement, Shape and proportions
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TECHNOLOGY Numbers Numerical problem
solving Millimetres, centimetres Scale,
dimension, form, Co-ordinates. Three dimensional
co-ordinates Cycles, time Simultaneous
equations Algebra Boolean algebra
equations Geometry, Pythagoras, Load extensions,
graphs Resolving forces, force networks Nets
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PEOPLE WHO CAN DO MATHS/MATHEMATICIANS
ART Logical. Logical thinkers, perhaps
absolutist. TECHNOLOGY Me because I have an
engineering background people who want to
understand more about the world around them.
There is mathematics for thinkers and
mathematics for doers. Vocational maths I suppose
would be engineering.
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Questions

• Should maths textbooks make the links with other
  areas of the curriculum as well as with the
  so-called real world?
• Is the emphasis on functionality missing the
  point? Neither art nor English are functional
  but they are popular subjects.