Blog Reading - Thinking of Math Textbooks

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Here is an interesting critical-thinking take on the ways that math textbooks may 'speak to' their
readers (assuming that people actually do read and listen to math textbooks...)


Please read this thought-provoking article and blog on:

•How you respond to the examples given here -- as a teacher and as a former student
•What are your thoughts about the reasons for using/ not using textbooks, and the changing role of math textbooks in schools?





The author gave an example that TMM's initial "investigation" whose instruction included much more exclusive imperatives (or "scribbler" imperatives such as "write", "calculate" and "copy" ) than inclusive imperatives ("thinker" imperatives like "describe", "explain", "prove"). I agree that it is appropriate to scribble before thinking. As a former student I would have more confident doing challenging thinking with some directions for scribbling. Otherwise, I might develop an anxiety about mathematics since I would not find an entry point if only the inclusive imperatives were provided. This might reduce my interest in learning mathematics. As a teacher, I would like to set my students up for success by providing some exclusive instructions. However, depends on the level of students, I would be very careful about what and how many exclusive imperatives to be provided. Since too many or improper exclusive imperatives may set a boundary for student's creativity. 

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