Principle Investigator

• Prof. Ruhama Even

Project members

• Dr. Michal Ayalon
• Dr. Alex Friedlander
• Sarit Dolev (M.Sc. student)
• Irad Niv (M.Sc. student)
• Dr. Beba Shternberg
• Boaz Silveman (Ph.D student)

Summary

Mathematics textbooks are often the primary source for teachers to plan lessons, choose the content to be taught and the activities students will engage in the classroom. This is especially true in countries like Israel, where the Ministry of Education is responsible for the curriculum and approves the textbooks that are allowed to be used in the classroom. This study analyzes the opportunities for mathematics learning offered to students in seventh grade math textbooks. The findings point to significant differences between textbooks in relation to the cognitive level required in student assignments, in requiring students to justify and explain their mathematical work, as well as in relation to the types of justifications offered in textbooks for mathematical statements. The results of the study contributed to the development of the textbooks of Integrated Mathematics.

Links for further reading

• Dolev, S., & Even, R. (2013). Justifications and explanations in Israeli 7th grade math textbooks. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 13, 309–327. doi 10.1007/s10763-013-9488-7
• Niv, I., Friedlander, A. & Even, R. (2011, October). Cognitive demands of beginning algebra tasks as a tool for comparing textbooks. Paper presented at the International Conference on School Mathematics Textbooks (ICSMT 2011), Shanghai, China.
• Silverman, B. & Even, R. (2016). Paths of Justification in Israeli 7th grade mathematics textbooks. In C. Csíkos, A. Rausch, & J. Szitányi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 4, pp. 203–210). Szeged, Hungary: PME.

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