| George Gadanidis , Donna Kotsopoulos - Vol. 29 Num. 1 (2009) | ||
| This is how we do this and this is the way it is. Teachers' Choice of Mathematics Compass | 29-34 | |
| ABSTRACT: This article explores the factors that may cause teachers to defer to the textbook as the ultimate authority on curriculum and pedagogy, drawing on Bakhtin's notion of authoritative and personally persuasive discourse. We found that although teachers deferred to the textbook as the 'authority” of what should be taught, they did not fully implement its pedagogical intent. In some cases the teachers used the textbook as a 'cover story”, as a way of superficially addressing what they perceived to be the expectations of the mandated mathematical curriculum. Factors at play included teachers' mathematical identity, the mathematics textbook as a privileged discourse, students' privileging of mathematical discourse, curricular demands and time constraints, and parental pressures. | ||