The Role of Textbooks in Developing a Socio-critical Perspective on Mathematical Modelling in Secondary Classrooms

Abstract

One approach to teaching using mathematical modelling and applications is to take a socio-critical perspective where the goal is development of a critical understanding of the world through modelling physical and social phenomena. Several curriculum documents in Australia as well as in other countries, with a modelling and applications emphasis, promote socio-critical aspects to be developed by mathematics curricula, particularly at senior secondary level. The role of modern textbook resources in promoting this development and how teachers could use these resources to mediate such a learning goal in relation to the applications of mathematics is an under researched area. This chapter interrogates curriculum documents and textbook tasks to assess the potential role of textbooks in developing this understanding in students through mathematical modelling.