Sequencing, interactivity, and feedback in digital mathematics textbooks for Japan and England

One challenge for technology use in mathematics education is the integration of tools in the classroom. In the EJEME project (E-textbooks for Japanese and English Mathematics Education) we first analysed secondary data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to explore predictors of effective technology use in mathematics education, and then co-designed a digital mathematics book for Japan and England. Two researchers, one from England and one from Japan, worked with three mathematics teachers in a secondary school in Japan. The aim was to co-design a book around one task on ‘patterns’ from PISA that both English and Japanese students find challenging. We co-designed the books in three steps. In the first step we discussed the topic of ‘patterns’ through analysing the PISA task and other mathematical ‘pattern’ tasks. We asked the teachers to then bring pattern tasks a few days later, which we then discussed in-depth, so the research team had an understanding of the intended aims. The first author then designed a first version of a digital mathematics book with the teachers’ tasks, which was presented a week after that. The feedback that was given then led to a new version of the book. During the co-design process, we did not just converge on the content of the book, but also on design principles for the books, which included sequencing, interactivity, and feedback. In this presentation, we report on both the PISA data analysis, as well as the co-design process.