• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.353-371
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate preservice secondary teachers' understanding and modification capacity of tasks from mathematics textbooks. This study conducted a survey about how preservice teachers understand the features of mathematical tasks and how they would select and modify tasks appropriately from the curriculum and for lesson goals. The findings from the analysis suggest that the preservice teachers seem to recognize Procedures Without Connections tasks as the high-level tasks. Further, 43 percent of the total numbers appropriately selected the tasks from the curriculum and for lesson goals. Most of the preservice teachers appear to find it difficult to modify low-level tasks into high-level tasks.

• School Mathematics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.203-241
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• 2000

This study aims to suggest a model of task development for mathematics performance assessment and to develop performance tasks for the fifth graders in the primary school on the basis of this model. In order to achieve these aims, the following inquiry questions were set up: (1) to develop open-ended tasks and projects for the fifth graders, (2) to develop checklists for measuring the abilities of mathematical reasoning, problem solving, connection, communication of the fifth graders more deeply when performance assessment tasks are implemented and (3) to examine the appropriateness of performance tasks and checklists and to modify them when is needed through applying these tasks to pupils. The consequences of applying some tasks and analysing some work samples of pupils are as follows. Firstly, pupils need more diverse thinking ability. Secondly, pupils want in the ability of analysing the meaning of mathematical concepts in relation to real world. Thirdly, pupils can calculate precisely but they want in the ability of explaining their ideas and strategies. Fourthly, pupils can find patterns in sequences of numbers or figures but they have difficulty in generalizing these patterns, predicting and demonstrating. Fifthly, pupils are familiar with procedural knowledge more than conceptual knowledge. From these analyses, it is concluded that performance tasks and checklists developed in this study are improved assessment tools for measuring mathematical abilities of pupils, and that we should improve mathematics instruction for pupils to understand mathematical concepts deeply, solve problems, reason mathematically, connect mathematics to real world and other disciplines, and communicate about mathematics.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.61-74
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• 2001

The purposes of this study are to develop the mathematical performance assessment tasks and to apply them to the middle school students. And I also intend to know the students' inclination and learning attitude to mathematics. In order to satisfy this study, I developed the performance assessment tasks and the standard program of marking about the mathematical function and statistics for the first grade students at middle school. After examining the students' basic investigation, their inclination and learning attitude to mathematics, I applied these developed tasks to them After that I put both classes and performance assessment into operation in all 15 periods. I set up two classes of the first grade students (49 students) at J middle school in Kongju, Chungcheongnam-do as a model group. The results of this study are as follows: First, owing to the developed performance assessment tasks of function and statistics, the teachers can operate the assessment system as a process of teaching and learning. Second, because of the application of mathematical performance assessment tasks, we can change the students' inclination and learning attitude to mathematics affirmatively. And by using these tasks, we can help the students to think mathematically. In this way, the students will be able to realize the real value of mathematics and have a growing interest in mathematics through all these meaningful processes. Judging from this study, we can elevate the students' abilities of problem solving and reasoning and improve teaching-learning method by applying the performance assessment tasks to them. Thanks to these tasks, the students will be changed affirmatively in their inclination and learning attitude to mathematics. I think that these tasks are very good assessment method which can call forth curiosity and interest. Besides, they can also help the students realize the real value of mathematics.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.285-309
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• 2022

A large body of previous studies investigated mathematical tasks by analyzing the design process prior to lessons or textbooks. While researchers have revealed the significant roles of mathematical tasks within written curricular, there has been a call for studies about how mathematical tasks are implemented or what is experienced and learned by students as enacted curriculum. This article proposes a mathematical task analytic framework based on a holistic definition of tasks encompassing both written tasks and the process of task enactment. We synthesized the features of the mathematical tasks and developed a task analytic framework with multiple dimensions: breadth, depth, bridging, openness, and interaction. We also applied the scoring rubric to analyze three multiplication tasks to illustrate the framework by its five dimensions. We illustrate how a series of tasks are analyzed through the framework when students are engaged in multiplicative thinking. The framework can provide important information about the qualities of planned tasks for mathematics instruction (proactive) and the qualities of implemented tasks during instruction (reactive). This framework will be beneficial for curriculum designers to design rich tasks with more careful consideration of how each feature of the tasks would be attained and for teachers to transform mathematical tasks with the provision of meaningful learning activities into implementation.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.61-75
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• 2015

This study analyzed the characteristics of mathematical tasks including the level of cognitive demands set up by pre-service elementary school teachers. 50 pre-service teachers in G university of education who participated in their 4 weeks teaching practicum were selected as subjects. They planned and implemented mathematics lesson with their lesson plans. Lesson plans, video of their lessons, transcript of video were gathered and analyzed the characteristics of mathematical tasks used in their lesson. Through the analysis, several conclusions were drawn as follow. First, 78% of the subjects modified tasks in mathematics textbooks. Since modification or construction of mathematical tasks gives good chance for constructing mathematical task knowledge for teaching, more chance should be given to pre-service teachers to construct new tasks or modify tasks in mathematics textbooks. Second, types of modification done by pre-service teachers were categorized as number change(15.6%), situation change(78.1%) and material change(6.3%). As Chapman(2013) emphasized the importance of MtKT, pre-service teachers must have more MtKT by understanding the characteristics of mathematical tasks. Third, the level of cognitive demands required by mathematical tasks were relatively low. 74% of mathematical tasks was lower cognitive demands and only 26% was higher cognitive demands. The level of cognitive demands of tasks in mathematics textbooks tended to be lowered by the directions given right after the tasks were given. In this respect, the structure of mathematics textbooks need to be changed.

• 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.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.87-98
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• 2001

The Center for Science Gifted Education (CSGE) of Chongju National University of Education was established in 1998 with the financial support of the Korea. Science & Engineering Foundation (KOSEF). In fact, we had prepared mathematics and science gifted education program beginning in 1997. It was possible due to the commitment of faculty members with an interest in gifted education. Now we have 5 classes in Mathematics, two of which are fundamental, one of which is a strengthened second-grade class gifted elementary school students, and one a fundamental class, and one a strengthened class for gifted middle school students in Chungbuk province. Each class consists of 16 students selected by a rigorous examination and filtering process. Also we have a mentoring system for particularly gifted students in mathematics. We have a number of programs for Super-Saturday, Summer School, Winter School, and Mathematics and Science Gifted Camp. Each program is suitable for 90 or 180 minutes of class time. The types of tasks developed can be divided into experimental, group discussion, open-ended problem solving, and exposition and problem solving tasks. Levels of the tasks developed for talented elementary students in mathematics can be further divided into grade 5 and under, grade 6, and grade 7 and over. Types of the tasks developed can be divided into experimental, group discussion, open-ended problem solving, and exposition and problem solving task. Also levels of the tasks developed for talented elementary students in mathematics can be divided into the level of lower than grade 5, level of grade 6, and level of more than grade 7. Three tasks developed and practiced are reported in this article.

• School Mathematics
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.357-388
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• 2000

This study aims to develop performance assessment tools for mathematics in the primary school. In order to achieve this aim, it reviews the tics in the primary school. In order to achieve this aim, it reviews the meaning and the purpose of mathematics performance assessment, and the characteristics of performance assessment tasks. Then the framework for portfolio developed in this study is introduced. This portfolio is called 'mathematical thinking and applying'. It aims at balanced assessment for improvement of mathematics instruction. It is composed of journal writhing, problem by the student, constructed task, work samples, written test, self assessment, teacher's comment and parents' comment. The criteria of performance tasks is categorized in impact, reasoning, accuracy and communication. The procedures of development of these tasks are as follows: the analysis of mathematics curriculum for the primary school, the design of performance tasks with considering teaching unit goals, designing rubrics, discussing these tasks with teachers in primary school, modifying them when is needed, observing the process of children's task performing, interviewing with teachers and final modifying. After performance assessment tasks are implemented, the answers by the students is analyzed using rubrics. Then anchor papers are selected. Also, the errors of children are analyzed. Through the process, teachers can obtain the information of children for improvement of mathematics instruction. Finally in order to generalize this study, I suggest that we need to cooperate with the field of education and to establish expert assessment groups.

• 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.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.491-510
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• 2017

This study analyzes on conjecturing tasks in elementary mathematics textbook. We adopted Peircean semiotic perspective and variation theory to analyze conjecturing tasks in elementary mathematics textbook. We specifically analyzed mathematical tasks designed to support students' inquiries into definitions and properties of quardrilaterals. As a result, we found that conjecturing tasks in textbooks do not focus on supporting students' diagrammatic reasoning and inductive verification on provisional abductions. These tasks were mainly designed to support students' conjecturing on commonalities of mathematical objects rather than differences between objects.