Justifying the Content: Exploring Aims for School Mathematics in Teacher Plans

• In Event: Researching In-Service and Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

The persistence of a century-old high school mathematics curriculum despite massive societal change, and the mathematics education system's failure to equitably achieve many broader aims (such as student ability to apply mathematics to day-to-day life) raises a question: What aims, if any, shape the curriculum experienced by students? This question is explored by using activity theory to examine the extent to which and how aims permeate the lesson planning of four high school mathematics teachers. Few of the analyzed plans for lessons were found to display high aims permeation, potentially explaining why many aims are not achieved and reinforcing growing field-wide concerns about the culpability of mathematics education in maintaining societal inequities.

Author

• Andrew S. Richman, Lesley University