Abstract
This chapter examines the interplay of several key factors involved in shaping students’ opportunities to learn mathematics. It draws on studies conducted as part of the research program Same Teacher—Different Classes, all of which use the same novel research methodology: multiple case studies, where each case includes a teacher who teaches mathematics using the same curriculum program or syllabus in two classes. The first three sections examine ways by which the interplay between class characteristics and the characteristics of its teacher shapes students’ opportunities to learn mathematics, revealing different kinds of interactions between these two factors. The fourth section brings another factor into play by examining the interplay among class characteristics, characteristics of the teacher, and characteristics of the mathematics topic (a central component of the curriculum) and how they shape students’ opportunities to learn mathematics. The interplay of factors involved in shaping students’ opportunities to learn mathematics is examined in two different settings: (1) teaching the same probability syllabus in high-school classes having different matriculation levels and (2) teaching the same algebra curriculum program in 7th grade classes in different schools.
Keywords
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High-school graduation national exams, a prerequisite for higher education in Israel.
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Even, R. (2014). The Interplay of Factors Involved in Shaping Students’ Opportunities to Learn Mathematics. In: Li, Y., Silver, E., Li, S. (eds) Transforming Mathematics Instruction. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04993-9_25
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