Curricular Resources and Classroom Use: The Case of Mathematics

Curricular resources include the different kinds of materials (digital or physical) that teachers use in or for their teaching (textbooks, lesson plans, etc.) and have a significant influence on students' opportunities to learn. At the same time, teachers play a crucial role as interpreters of such materials, so there is a complex relationship between curricular resources and their classroom use. This book aims to bridge these rather disconnected but highly related programs of research by describing, comparing, and exemplifying new research approaches for studying, in connected ways, both curricular resources and their classroom use, thereby supporting also investigation of the complex interplay between the two. In addition to implications for research, the book has implications for curriculum development and teacher education. Specifically, the book deepens understanding of how curriculum developers can better exploit the potential of curricular resources to support classroom work, and how teacher educators can better support teachers to use curricular resources in the classroom.

About the Author :
Gabriel Stylianides is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the Department of Education and a Fellow of Worcester College at the University of Oxford. A Fulbright scholar, he received MSc degrees in mathematics and mathematics education, and then his PhD in mathematics education, at the University of Michigan. He was an Editor of Research in Mathematics Education and is currently an Editorial Board member of the Elementary School Journal and the International Journal of Educational Research. He received an American Educational Research Association Publication Award for his 2009 article "Reasoning-and-proving in Mathematics Textbooks."

Review :
The theories and methods are very clearly presented and commented, and usefully illustrated by examples. More generally, the choice of presentation is very relevant, and could be recommended to all researchers trying to communicate their theories and methods to a large audience of students and colleagues. Stylianides provides detailed analytical guidelines to answer questions about curriculum fidelity... the book offers detailed methodological guidance and options for audiences interested in examining mathematical tasks in curriculum resources. Amongst the various texts for mathematics teachers and educators, most focus on the subject knowledge or pedagogy for teaching and learning. Occasionally a book comes to the surface which sets out various resources which can be used for teaching different topics effectively. This book goes a step further, by examining not only a range of possible mathematics resources but also looking at some of the key recent research which underpins the use of the resources and implications for future resource development. I feel this book deserves recognition for the thoughtful examination (to an exhaustive degree) of the U.S. literature on mathematics curriculum as well as European scholarship and for the author's success in framing the interaction between student learning and use of curricular resources in the classroom with his own worldview. The book is fairly concise but packs in lots of information and references. For others studying this area this is clearly a helpful read ... For anyone with an academic interest in curricular resources this book looks like an essential read.