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ENACTED TYPES OF ALGEBRAIC ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT CLASSES TAUGHT BY THE SAME TEACHER

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ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine how teachers enact the same written algebra curriculum materials in different classes. The study addresses this issue by comparing the types of algebraic activity (Kieran, 2004) enacted in two 7th grade classes taught by the same teacher, using the same textbook. Data sources include lesson observations and an interview with the teacher. The findings show that students in the two classes were offered somewhat different algebraic experiences. At one school, more emphasis was placed on global/meta-level activities (activities that are not exclusive to algebra and suggest general mathematical processes), whereas at the other school, more emphasis was placed on transformational activities (“rule-based” algebraic activities). Analysis of the sources of the differences related to the ways in which the teacher used and enacted the curriculum materials in the two classes revealed that these were linked to the teacher’s attempts to be attentive to the students in the class and to the nature of the students’ work.

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Correspondence to Tammy Eisenmann.

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Eisenmann, T., Even, R. ENACTED TYPES OF ALGEBRAIC ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT CLASSES TAUGHT BY THE SAME TEACHER. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 9, 867–891 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-010-9241-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-010-9241-4

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