The dolls' house classroom

John Ainley, ACER
D Pratt

Abstract

The design of the task described in this paper uses the framework of purpose and utility. Purpose reflects the authors' concern to create tasks which are meaningful for pupils. One strand of research on which the authors draw is that of mathematics in out-of-school contexts which has highlighted the contrast between the levels of engagement of learners in mathematical activities in and out of school. The authors argue that setting school tasks in the context of 'real world' situations, for example through the use of word problems, is not sufficient to make them meaningful for pupils. Indeed, there is considerable evidence of the problematic nature of pedagogic materials which contextualise mathematics in supposedly real-world settings, but fail to provide a purpose that makes sense to pupils. The Dolls' House Classroom task focuses on scaling, which is a key idea in proportional reasoning. The outcome of the task is a set of instructions for another group of children to make items for the dolls' house classroom. The purposeful nature of the task would, of course, be increased if the pupils were involved in the actual manufacture of the product. As the activity evolved, the emphasis on making sense of the task itself by relating it to personal experiences and testing its boundaries transformed into creating solution strategies, guided by the purpose of task. [Author abstract, ed]