Mathematics worksheets as a pedagogical genre in secondary school classrooms

• Main Author: Deniz, Ozlem
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/45413

From kindergarten to the end of secondary school, worksheets are common and dominant curriculum materials in mathematics education with profound effects on pedagogy. While worksheets play an important role in mathematics classrooms, there have been few attempts to describe and understand this pedagogical genre and its effects on the sociology of the classroom. This study examines what worksheets are and how they are used and perceived by teachers in mathematics education through the perspective of genre theory. It provides insights into how worksheets may impact the sociology of the classroom in terms of power and classroom dynamics and offers suggestions for implications through text analysis, focus groups and interviews. Given the important role worksheets play in mathematics education, the findings of this study may shed light into our understanding of the textual and contextual features of worksheets. This may, in turn, raise awareness among educators to revise their practice creating and using worksheets, and ultimately, improve mathematics education.