Since textbooks were introduced into American classrooms, they have been the main focus and source of information for our classes. Using only one resource provides a one sided and narrow view of the world. I may not face this specific issue on a daily basis in my secondary math classes but an issue I will face is combating the specific type of thinking that textbooks fosters throughout the year. Each text has it’s own outline and structure, which funnels students into this “one way” mindset for solving problems. We need to allow students to glean “specific practical thinking strategies that help [them] to dig meaning out of a document in any content field” (Daniels & Zemelman, 2014, p.4). As a math teacher, I constantly want to be incorporating other content areas into my lessons so as to create real world connections for my students. While textbooks try to provide these connections, I would prefer to utilize other sources such as newspaper or scientific articles, literary texts and technology. Allowing students to find our math topics in their everyday lives will increase retention rates and help them draw deeper connections to the material.
Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2014). Subjects matter: Exceeding standards through powerful content area reading, second edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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