”Man sitter på sin plats och räknar i boken” : En studie av elevers uppfattningar om matematik och matematikundervisning med fokus på lärares metoder och verktyg

Sammanfattning:

Swedish students' knowledge of mathematics has deteriorated in recent years. Teaching of mathematics is therefore starting point in an ongoing discussion among researchers, school leaders, politicians, teachers and others, who all thinks they know best about how teaching should be designed to the greatest extent possible to raise students' proficiency levels in the subject. Teachers' practices have long been the focus of discussions and views on these differ. The purpose of this paper is therefore to study students 'conceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching, with teachers' methods and tools of focus, in relation to previous research on the subject. The method used was a survey of students in secondary school and a textual analysis of previous studies on the subject.As revealed by the survey was that the textbook has a big advantage in mathematics education in Sweden today.Many students are not accustomed to working in a different way and thereforedoes not know either what the alternative approach entails. Pupils in secondary school often have a negative attitude towards mathematics, as revealed both by review of previous research and survey. The attitude to mathematics has also deteriorated recently. To improve students' knowledge in mathematics and reverse the negative trend that started, we should make radical changes in teaching. The textbook should no longer be the focus of teaching, but teachers should use diverse methods and tools that make best efforts to capture all students and promote their knowledge.