Textual Construction of Middle School Math Students as “Thinkers”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20360/G2P30QKeywords:
textual representation, textbookAbstract
This paper investigates how the mathematical performance of a group of middle school students might be characterized when the text breaks from tradition and constructs students as members of the mathematical community. Firstly, I will consider how a current Canadian textbook presents The Locker Problem through a depersonalized, formalized style that promotes its authority over the student-reader (Rotman, 2006). Next I will argue that the presentation of the problem through a Problem-of-the-Week (POW) format promotes the author/ity (Povey et al, 1990) of the student- reader over the text. Finally, I will present a classroom episode where a small group of students explore The Locker Problem based on the POW format. While some have argued that one can infer the experience of the student-reader through a text’s choice of words (Herbel-Eisenmann & Wagner, 2007), I suggest that the student-reader’s style of performing mathematics might also be inferred based on the text’s presentation of a problem.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).