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Connecting engagement and focus in pedagogic task design
Author(s) -
Ainley Janet,
Pratt Dave,
Hansen Alice
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1080/01411920500401971
Subject(s) - heuristics , set (abstract data type) , task (project management) , plan (archaeology) , mathematics education , curriculum , theme (computing) , dimension (graph theory) , face (sociological concept) , focus (optics) , pedagogy , computer science , psychology , sociology , engineering , social science , physics , mathematics , systems engineering , archaeology , optics , pure mathematics , history , programming language , operating system
Teachers of mathematics face a particular tension, which the authors call the planning paradox If teachers plan from objectives, the tasks they set are likely to be unrewarding for the pupils and mathematically impoverished. Planning from tasks may increase pupils' engagement but their activity is likely to be unfocused and learning difficult to assess. By seeking inspiration from research in the areas of curriculum design, the nature of authenticity in the classroom and the use of tools, and by looking retrospectively at the design of computer‐based tasks that have underpinned their research for many years, the authors recognise a theme of purposeful activity, leading to a planned appreciation of utilities for certain mathematical concepts. The authors propose utility as a third dimension of understanding, which can be linked to purpose in the effective design of tasks. The article concludes with a set of heuristics to guide such planning.