The offer of tasks to work on multiplication in grades 2 and 3

Résumé En

In this paper, we present an analysis of four teaching materials of grades 2 and 3, which are widely used in Germany. We analyzed the tasks in these textbooks and workbooks with a focus on developing and consolidating the operational understanding of multiplication. For this purpose, we present a framework developed by us. Its foundations are the levels of representation according to Bruner and the fact that mathematical terms are concepts. The analysis shows a homogeneous picture across all four textbooks and workbooks: Already in class 2, the vast majority of tasks require working on the non-verbal–symbolic level alone. Only a small part of the tasks promotes connections to the iconic, to the enactive or to the verbal-symbolic level and challenges students to intermodal translations from one level of representation to another. In grade 3, compared to grade 2, an even larger proportion of tasks are limited to the non-verbal–symbolic level.