• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.445-469
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• 2014

This study aims to examine secondary mathematics teachers' understanding of the levels of cognitive demand on mathematical tasks suggested in mathematics textbooks. The study also attempts to investigate whether the teachers are able to characterize the tasks accordingly and to change low level tasks to high level ones. For this purpose, we developed a survey and 50 secondary mathematics teachers participated in the survey. The findings from the data analysis suggest that 59 percent of the teachers selected high level tasks as appropriate for achieving the national curricular goals, but about 1/3 of the teachers identified PNC tasks as high level ones. The results also reveal that more than half of the teachers were not able to transform low level into high level tasks and only 4 teachers out of 50 were able to transform successfully. The teachers seem to find difficulty in transforming low level tasks into high level ones.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.363-380
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• 2023

This study analyzed the difficulties and mathematical modeling knowledge improvement that an elementary school teacher experienced in modifying a mathematics textbook task to a mathematical modeling task. To this end, an elementary school teacher with 10 years of experience participated in teacher-researcher community's repeated discussions and modified the average task in the data and pattern domain of the 5th grade. The results are as followings. First, in the process of task modification, the teacher had difficulties in reflecting reality, setting the appropriate cognitive level of mathematical modeling tasks, and presenting detailed tasks according to the mathematical modeling process. Second, through repeated task modifications, the teacher was able to develop realistic tasks considering the mathematical content knowledge and students' cognitive level, set the cognitive level of the task by adjusting the complexity and openness of the task, and present detailed tasks through thought experiments on students' task-solving process, which shows that teachers' mathematical modeling knowledge, including the concept of mathematical modeling and the characteristics of the mathematical modeling task, has improved. The findings of this study suggest that, in terms of the mathematical modeling teacher education, it is necessary to provide teachers with opportunities to improve their mathematical modeling task development competency through textbook task modification rather than direct provision of mathematical modeling tasks, experience mathematical modeling theory and practice together, and participate in teacher-researcher communities.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.281-300
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• 2015

The purpose of this research is to analyze cognitive demands, answer types, and storytelling types on the basis of mathematical tasks in five different mathematics textbooks based on 2009 revised curriculum in order to suggest directions for the development and use of storytelling mathematics textbooks in school. Results show that first, PNC (Procedures without Connections) task was the largest category in cognitive demands of all mathematical tasks, Low-Level task was larger than others in cognitive demands of mathematical content tasks, and High-Level task was larger than others in cognitive demands of mathematical activity tasks. Second, a short-answer type was the largest category in answer types of all mathematical tasks, the majority of mathematical content tasks were a short-answer type, and the majority of mathematical activity tasks were both short-answer and explanation-answer types. Finally, storytelling connected to real-life was the largest category in storytelling types, and the number of mathematical activity tasks was less than that of mathematical content tasks. However, in the tasks reflected on storytelling, the percentage of mathematical activity tasks was higher than that of mathematical content tasks. Based on the results, while developing storytelling mathematics textbooks and using storytelling textbooks in school, it suggests to consider the need for balance and diversity in cognitive demands, answer types, and storytelling types according to mathematical tasks.

• School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.213-232
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the cognitive demand of the mathematical tasks suggested in the middle school textbooks. In particular, it aimed to reveal the overall picture of the level of cognitive demand of the mathematical tasks on function in the textbooks. We adopted the framework for mathematical task analysis suggested by Stein & Smith (1998) and analyzed the mathematical tasks accordingly. The findings from the analysis showed that 95 percent of the mathematical tasks were at low level and the rest at high level in terms of cognitive demand. Most of the mathematical tasks in the textbooks were algorithmic and focused on producing correct answers by using procedures. In particular, the high level tasks were presented at the end of each chapter or unit for wrap up rather than as key resources.

• School Mathematics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.37-59
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the mathematical tasks in the high school textbooks. In particular, it aimed to reveal the overall picture of the level of cognitive demand of the mathematical tasks in the textbooks. We adopted the framework for mathematical task analysis suggested by Smith & Stein (1998) and analyzed the mathematical tasks accordingly. The findings from the analysis showed that 95 percent of the mathematical tasks were at low level and the rest at high level in terms of cognitive demand. Most of the mathematical tasks in the textbooks were algorithmic and focused on producing correct answers by using procedures.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2019

This study analyzed how problem-posing tasks included in Korean middle school mathematics textbooks were distributed in terms of content area, task type, and context of task to investigate that the mathematics textbooks are giving students ample opportunities for problem-posing activities. The analysis of 10 mathematics textbooks for first grade in middle school according to the revised mathematics curriculum in 2015 found that the problem-posing tasks contained in the textbooks are insufficient in quantity and not evenly distributed in terms of content areas. There were also more problem-posing tasks with relatively moderate constraints than those with strong or weak constraints in terms of mathematical constraints. In addition, there were more problem-posing tasks that were not requiring students to make a new context, and more often camouflage contexts were used. Based on this, implications for improving mathematics problem-posing tasks in mathematics textbook were suggested.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.155-173
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to offer the implication for elementary school mathematics teaching by analyzing teachers' reflection on the cognitive demands of mathematical tasks they give in class. During the setup phase and the implementation phase in math class, the researchers analyzed the change of cognitive demands on mathematical tasks and the factors which had influence on such changes. After teachers' reflection on teaching, the researchers analyzed the change of cognitive demands on mathematical tasks and the factors which had influence on such changes in math classes. As a result, before teachers' reflection on the cognitive demands of mathematical tasks, the higher-level demands of mathematical tasks had a tendency to decline. However, after teachers' reflection on the cognitive demands of mathematical tasks, higher-level demands of mathematical tasks were maintained.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.95-113
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• 2019

In this paper, we analyzed the levels of cognitive demand of the tasks for developing t he mathematical core competencies presented in the "Mathematics" textbook of the first y ear of high school developed according to the 2015 revised mathematics curriculum. "Mathematics" textbook included 4999 mathematics tasks, of which 703 were tasks for developing the mathematical competency. Analysis of 703 mathematical tasks according to the analysis framework of Stein, Smith, Henningsen, and Silver (2000) showed that 61.5% of students required high cognitive levels, 38.5% required low cognitive levels, and the types of tasks were as follows: Low-M 1.0%, Low-P 37.5%, High-P 57.8%, High-D 3.7%. It w as found that most of the tasks for the purpose were tasks that led to understanding mathematical concepts, principles, and processes along procedural processes.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.363-383
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• 2018

The subject of 'Mathematical Task Inquiry' was introduced newly in the curriculum revised in 2015. The subject is dealt with after completing the subject of 'mathematics' to be dealt with in the tenth grade. Its main content is comprised of the understanding and learning of the purpose and procedure of inquiry task and of study ethics, and its educational goal is to enforce the prior mathematical knowledge and to obtain the ability to select interesting topics that combine mathematics with other subjects. However the textbook of the subject does not exist, and teachers should handle with the subject with responsibility for their own ways. Because of this reason, this study is to develop an instruction model on project(task) inquiry model and materials. Namely, according to the model, students is guided to select and decide the subject of the task, and develop the task for themselves, solve it with peers in cooperation, and announce the solution and their feelings. During those students' exploration and activities, the role of teachers is to guide students to complete their work. By the way, in order to develop more creative tasks that is appropriate to their academic and cognitive level, this study conducted the experimentation for the subject of 9 students (6 girls and 3 boys), who are scheduled to advance to the 11 grade of J high school located in G domestic. The experimentation was consisted of three class and after the third class, the semi-structured interview was conducted immediately for the students.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.61-76
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the errors and difficulties which pre-service secondary teachers shows during the task modification in consideration of the cognitive demand and to provide significant implications to the pre-service teacher education program related to the modification of the mathematical tasks. In the pursuit of this purpose, tasks were selected from perpendicular bisector units and 24 pre-service teachers were asked to modify the tasks to higher and lower level tasks. After the modification activities, opportunities for reflection and modification were provided. The findings from analysis are as follows. Pre-service teachers had a difficulty to distinguish between PNC tasks and PWC tasks. Also, We identified the interference phenomena that pre-service teachers depended on the apparent elements of the task. Pre-service teachers showed a tendency to overlook the learning objectives and learning hierarchy during the task modification, and to focus on some types of task modification. However, pre-service teachers were able to have meaningful learning opportunities and extend the category of tools to technology including Geogebra through self-reflection and correction activities on task modification. The above results were summed up and we presented the implications to the task modification program in the pre-service secondary teacher education.