School mathematics curricula internationally tend to emphasise problem-solving and have led to the development of opportunities for children to do maths in a more open, creative way. This has led to increased interest in 'performance-based' assessment, which involves children in substantial production of written language to serve as 'evidence' of their mathematical activity and achievement. However, this raises two important questions. Firstly, does this writing accurately present children's mathematical activity and ability? Secondly, do maths teachers have sufficient linguistic awareness to support their students in developing skills and knowledge necessary for writing effectively in their subject area? The author of this book takes a critical perspective on these questions and, through an investigation of teachers' readings and evaluations of coursework texts, identifies the crucial issues affecting the accurate assessment of school mathematics.
Author(s): Candia Morgan
Series: Studies in Mathematics Education 9
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 243
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
List of Figures and Table......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 9
Preface by Series Editor......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
'The Language of Mathematics' ;Characteristics of Written Mathematical Texts......Page 19
Writing in the Mathematics Classroom......Page 33
Learning to Write Mathematically......Page 48
The Public Discourse of 'Investigation'......Page 61
A Critical Linguistic Approach to Mathematical Text......Page 87
Reading Investigative Mathematical Texts......Page 111
The Assessment of Investigations and Teacher Assessment......Page 126
Investigating Teachers Reading Coursework......Page 142
Teachers' Responses to Student Writing......Page 161
Assessing Difference: 'Creativity' and Error......Page 191
Towards a Critically Aware Mathematical Writing Curriculum......Page 208
References......Page 223
Index......Page 239
