Mathematics Curriculum in The Schooling Years

The term ‘curriculum’ is used to describe the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum or the attained curriculum. While the intended curriculum refers to the written or prescribed curriculum, the implemented curriculum refers to curriculum as teachers enact it in classrooms. Consequently, it is difficult to separate the enacted curriculum from teachers' pedagogical practice. Nevertheless, it is both worthwhile and timely to focus on research that specifically addresses curriculum with the recent development of the Australian curriculum for mathematics in the schooling years (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2010a; 2010b). Part of the intent of this chapter is to describe the background and processes used to develop this curriculum as well as point to recent Australasian research which informed its development. We anticipate—as do the Editors of the Review—that increased attention will be given to issues that surround curriculum in the coming years as classroom practitioners and researchers describe the changed practices that will inevitably occur with the introduction of a new curriculum. We acknowledge that New Zealand's national curriculum is not in such a transitional phase although the new curriculum has only been in full implementation since 2010.