The Concept of Understanding in Mathematics Textbooks in Iceland

Title:	The Concept of Understanding in Mathematics Textbooks in Iceland
Author:	Bjarnadóttir, Kristín Bergsten, Christer Grevholm, Barbro Strømskag Måsøval, Heidi 4 authors Show fewer authors
Date:	2007
Language:	English
Scope:	13
School:	Education
ISBN:	978-82-519-2212-8
Series:	Relating Practice and Research in Mathematics Education; ()
Subject:	Mathematics (all)
URI:	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4882
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Citation: Bjarnadóttir , K 2007 , The Concept of Understanding in Mathematics Textbooks in Iceland . in C Bergsten , B Grevholm & H Strømskag Måsøval (eds) , Relating Practice and Research in Mathematics Education : Proceedings of NORMA 05, Fourth Nordic Conference on Mathematics Education . Tapir Academic Press , Trondheim , pp. 163-175 , NORMA 05 , Trondheim , Norway , 2/09/05 . conference
Abstract: The importance of understanding concepts and procedures is emphasized in most mathematics textbooks written in Iceland, from the earliest writings in Icelandic up to present day. Simultaneously, assertions are found at regular intervals that the emphasis on understanding is a novelty, not promoted in earlier times. In order to analyze what lies behind these statements, the literary meaning of the Icelandic word “skilja”, usually translated as “understand”, will be compared to the corresponding words in Danish, English and Latin, and related to the modern sense of understanding in mathematics.