Mathematical Creativity and Mathematics Curriculum: Focusing on Patterns and Functions

창의성 관점에서 본 제 7차 초등 수학과 교육과정: 규칙성과 함수를 중심으로

The present study examined the 7th national elementary school mathematics curriculum from a perspective of mathematical creativity. The study investigated to what extent the activities in the Pattern and Function lessons in the national elementary school mathematics textbooks promoted the development of mathematical creativity. The results indicated that the current elementary school mathematics curriculum was limited in many ways to promote the development of mathematical creativity. Regarding the activities in Pattern lessons, for example, most activities presented closed tasks involving finding and extending patterns. The lesson provided little opportunities to explore the relationships among various patterns, apply patterns to different situations, or create ones own patterns. In regard to the Function lessons, the majority of activities were about computing the rate. This showed that the function was taught from an operational perspective, not a relational perspective. It was unlikely that students would develop the basic understanding of function through the activities involving the computing the rate. Further, the lessons had students use exclusively the numbers in representing the function. Students were provided little opportunities to use various representation methods involving pictures or graphs, explore the strengths and limitations of various representation methods, or to choose more effective representation methods in particular contexts. In conclusion, the lesson activities in the current elementary school mathematics textbooks were unlikely to promote the development of mathematical creativity.