Learning geometry in two cultural contexts: What does examining textbooks tell us
Domain:
educationRecord type:
This paper reports on a study that examines the presentation of second-grade geometry in two textbooks used in the respective countries -Ethiopia and Norway. It draws on didactical phenomenology, the van Hiele model of geometrical thinking, and adopts suggestions of three geometry strands for second-grade geometry education. The study employs a document analysis method. The results show that the Ethiopian textbook focuses mainly on the descriptive level, while the Norwegian focuses on the visualization level. Though little is available, real-life phenomena are used as starting points in the Ethiopian textbook. While the Norwegian presents real-life phenomena well, there is little use of these phenomena as starting points. Both textbooks focus on constructing and operating with shapes and figures, but hardly address orienting.