Interpretations of National Curricula: the case of geometry in textbooks from England and Japan
Interpretations of National Curricula: the case of geometry in textbooks from England and Japan
This paper focuses on how the geometry component of the National Curricula for mathematics in Japan and in one selected country of the UK, specifically England, is interpreted in school mathematics textbooks sampled from each country. The findings we report identify features of geometry, and approaches to geometry teaching and learning, that are found in a sample of textbooks aimed at students in Grade 8 (aged 13-14). Our analysis indicates that, following the specification of the mathematics curriculum for Grade 8 in the selected countries, textbooks in Japan set out specifically to develop students’ deductive reasoning skills through the explicit teaching of geometrical proof, whereas comparative textbooks in England tend, at this Grade level, to provide opportunities not only for geometrical reasoning but also cover geometric transformations, constructions, loci, and measurement. Issues related to the teaching of reasoning and problem-solving in geometry are raised based on these findings.
National Curricula, Textbooks, Mathematics, Geometry, England, Japan, Lower secondary school
671-683
Jones, Keith
ea790452-883e-419b-87c1-cffad17f868f
Fujita, Taro
8a05b8fc-a1ce-4a7b-9399-3fb00639a3cc
October 2013
Jones, Keith
ea790452-883e-419b-87c1-cffad17f868f
Fujita, Taro
8a05b8fc-a1ce-4a7b-9399-3fb00639a3cc
Jones, Keith and Fujita, Taro
(2013)
Interpretations of National Curricula: the case of geometry in textbooks from England and Japan.
ZDM: Mathematics Education, 45 (5), .
(doi:10.1007/s11858-013-0515-5).
Abstract
This paper focuses on how the geometry component of the National Curricula for mathematics in Japan and in one selected country of the UK, specifically England, is interpreted in school mathematics textbooks sampled from each country. The findings we report identify features of geometry, and approaches to geometry teaching and learning, that are found in a sample of textbooks aimed at students in Grade 8 (aged 13-14). Our analysis indicates that, following the specification of the mathematics curriculum for Grade 8 in the selected countries, textbooks in Japan set out specifically to develop students’ deductive reasoning skills through the explicit teaching of geometrical proof, whereas comparative textbooks in England tend, at this Grade level, to provide opportunities not only for geometrical reasoning but also cover geometric transformations, constructions, loci, and measurement. Issues related to the teaching of reasoning and problem-solving in geometry are raised based on these findings.
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Interpretations of National Curricula: the case of geometry in textbooks from England and Japan
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Published date: October 2013
Keywords:
National Curricula, Textbooks, Mathematics, Geometry, England, Japan, Lower secondary school
Organisations:
Mathematics, Science & Health Education
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Local EPrints ID: 348408
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/348408
PURE UUID: 248caf91-70f9-4731-a898-154d3ab83baf
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Date deposited: 13 Feb 2013 13:00
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 13:00
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Author:
Taro Fujita
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