Educative Features in Algebra Teachers’ Guides: Restricted Opportunities

• In Event: Algebra, Proportional Reasoning, and Working Memory

Abstract

To teach algebra effectively, it is important for teachers to engage in on-going professional learning opportunities. Curriculum materials have great potential to provide those educative opportunities when they are carefully designed to speak to teachers. This study analyzed the kinds of educative opportunities available from four Algebra teachers’ guides and explored how those opportunities were communicated. Positioning theory was used for systematic analysis. Findings indicate that the educative opportunities from teachers’ guides were narrow, presenting aspects of teacher professionalism in limited way. This study shows that for a curriculum material to be a space for effective teacher learning and hence contribute to enhancing the quality of algebra lessons, efforts are needed to diversify opportunities for professional learning in curriculum materials.

Author

• Heejoo Suh, Sungkyunkwan University