Activity theory – a model or ‘lens’ through which to view the teacher’s professional activity

Innocent Tasara

• Download the presentation slides

Abstract

Teachers of mathematics draw on and use a wide range of resources, as well as adapting these resources for purposes of teaching and learning. There is an increasing range and a wide availability of textual resources such as textbooks, and digital technologies & resources for teaching.

My research focuses on mathematics teachers’ interactions with resources – professional activity. The teacher’s professional activity here is seen as a function of the material resources, teaching activity, the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs, and the curriculum context. This study makes use of the Engeström’s model of Activity Theory as a framework for interpreting a range of factors that interact together to impact on the teachers’ activity for which the goal or object is to teach calculus.

My research investigates the mathematics teacher practice as a tool to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics teaching, and the teaching and learning of mathematics. It will look into how secondary school teachers of mathematics in England teach calculus, with a particular focus on differentiation.