Mathematics curricula have traditionally focused on content knowledge, often in the form of a scope and sequence of increasingly difficult mathematics. The importance of using and applying mathematics is recognised in the current Australian Curriculum Mathematics (ACM) as ‘proficiencies’ that are intended to be integrated with the content. There is little support for teachers to develop these proficiencies – reasoning, understanding, problem solving, and fluency. Learning progressions are sequences of learning that focus on cognitive processes, and thus provide a useful basis for curriculum development. Using an empirical Statistical Reasoning Learning Progression as an exemplar, a new approach to curriculum development is suggested that links content knowledge with the proficiencies. The outcome is a zone-based, rather than year level based, curriculum that allows teachers to target their teaching, so that students develop increasingly sophisticated understanding of Statistics and Probability.
History
Publication title
Australian Journal of Education
Volume
65
Pagination
329-342
ISSN
0004-9441
Department/School
Faculty of Education
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Place of publication
Australia
Rights statement
Copyright 2021 Australian Council for Educational Research
Repository Status
Restricted
Socio-economic Objectives
Assessment, development and evaluation of curriculum