Mathematics Curriculum Change: Reframing Public Opposition Into Collective Concerns

• In Event: 61.025 - The Important Role of Parental Involvement in Creating a Positive School Climate and Ensuring Student Success

Abstract

Attempts to communicate the advantages of today’s mathematics curricula to an influential and vocal minority have largely failed. Using phenomenography, we investigated public perceptions of the (not) new mathematics as expressed in a sample of 2442 online reader responses to Canadian national newspaper articles. Our research endeavours to identify starting place for conversation with parents and stakeholders by reframing public opposition into collective concerns. We identified two sets of concerns with five and three subcategories respectively. The first category addresses expected goals of mathematics learning (e.g., computationally proficient, and functionally numerate citizens). The second category includes the supports needed to ensure success (e.g., clarity of teaching resources and limiting the need for extracurricular support). [Subsection 4b: School-Family-Community Relations]

Authors

• Lynn M. McGarvey, University of Alberta

• Janelle McFeetors, University of Alberta