Researching the enacted mathematics curriculum: learning from various perspectives on enactment

Abstract

affiliated with the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), "Perhaps only students and teachers themselves are a more ubiquitous element of schooling than textbooks. … They represent school disciplines to students. They translate a country's curriculum policies into such representations" (Valverde et al. 2002, p. 1). Given the central role of textbooks in shaping and facilitating education, it seems only natural that educators are interested in researching various aspects of textbooks and their use. Indeed, as noted by Fan (2013), research about school textbooks has increased internationally in the last few decades and represents an important area for scientific research. This journal, itself, has recognized the importance of textbook research, with an issue on this topic as recently as volume 45, issue 5, in Fall 2013. In Fall 2010, a conference on researching the enacted mathematics curriculum that was funded by the US National Science Foundation was held in the in Tampa, FL (US). This conference brought together veteran curriculum scholars, relatively new researchers, and doctoral students to begin discussing a conceptual model for researching curriculum enactment. That conference led to a book, Enacted Mathematics Curriculum: A Conceptual Framework and Research Needs (Thompson and Usiskin 2014), to share the findings and discussions of the conference with a larger audience. But we believed there was still more to share. Although the book expanded on the work of the conference, many conference participants had research results related to curriculum enactment that needed to be shared. Hence, this issue of ZDM is one means of sharing that research with a wide international audience. As previously noted, interest in textbook research and enactment of textbook curricula has been expanding throughout the world. In addition to the issue of ZDM in 2013, an international conference on mathematics textbook Abstract This issue of ZDM focuses on research related to the enacted curriculum from various perspectives within the context of the US educational system. In this editorial, we describe the broad view of curriculum enactment taken in this issue, highlighting that we mean more than just how instruction plays out within a classroom. For instance, enactment can occur at a national level as educational goals are enacted into a set of national objectives or standards. Enactment can occur as goals or standards are embedded into written curriculum materials or textbooks, both in terms of teacher guides and materials for students. Enactment can occur as teachers make decisions about how to use their written curriculum materials. Finally, enactment can occur as teachers and students engage and interact with written materials during classroom instruction. We elaborate briefly on these views and then outline the structure of this ZDM issue.

Engineering Curriculum Changes in Higher and Tertiary Education: A Case of One Polytechnic College in Zimbabwe

“…This gives credence to Malone (2015)'s assertion that curriculum reform is often perceived by the frontline stakeholders, teachers, students, families, and the community members as something done to them rather than something constructed with them. Thompson (2018) note that there are continuously a few difficulties experienced by teachers amid the use of modern curriculum changes, especially when the newly presented concepts appear to be indeed new to them. In view of the finding and analysis given above, it suffices to conclude that engineering curriculum changes that lack lecturer buy in, and input lack the effectiveness they need to show, thus making no positive impact.…”

“…The fact that the respondents cited lack of training and upgrading of lecturers for the new engineering curriculum content suggests that they may have received very little or no training on the new engineering curriculum changes. Thompson et al (2018) implore that the greatest challenge facing curriculum reform is undoubtedly teacher training. Those people responsible for curriculum changes have to adapt to teachers' desires before rushing to adopt the new practices.…”

“…Malone (2015) highlights that curriculum reform is often perceived by the frontline stakeholders, teachers, students, families, and the community members as something done to them rather than something constructed with them. Thompson et al (2018) note that there are continuously a few difficulties experienced by teachers amid the use of modern curriculum changes, especially when the newly presented concepts appear to be indeed new to them. These challenges incorporate teacher development and support, observing of the execution, evaluation and provision of educational material and other resources.…”

Textures of Transaction: Exploring the Heterogeneity in Primary Teachers’ Engagements with Mathematics Textbooks in Delhi

“…Research on mathematics textbooks is a growing field in International Mathematics Education (Fan et al, 2013; Schubring & Fan, 2018). Studies focus on either the intended curriculum (textbooks and curricular materials) or the enacted curriculum (use of these materials) (see Schmidt, 1996; Thompson & Usiskin, 2014; Valverde et al, 2002). Many of the enactment studies have focused on the relationship between the textbook and the teacher who mediates the text in the classroom (Ball & Cohen, 1996; Brown, 2009; Remillard, 2011; Sherin & Drake, 2009).…”