CHAPTER 46: Textbooks in Mathematics Learning: The Potential for Misconceptions

As textbook authors ourselves (for example, Kajander, 2007; Lovric, 2007a) we have found ourselves face to face with the tension between the historical use of the text as the mathematical authority and the notions of mathematics reform as described in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] 2000), which position the learners as prominent participants in their own learning. “Rather than the textbook and the teacher acting as major sources of authority, this intended curriculum encourages students to rely on their own mathematical reasoning and evidence when discussing mathematical solutions” (Herbel-Eisenmann, 2007, p. 345).