Das Wissen um Unterschiede in den kognitiven Strukturen von Schülerinnen und Schülern als Erklärung von Unterrichtsbeiträgen

It is reported about a longitudinal study run at the Institute of Cognitive Mathematics of the University of Osnabrueck, in which pupils’ verbal and text productions from mathematics lessons at a grammar school are analysed by means of cognitive theoretical methods. First of all, a teaching scene from an instruction to probability calculus and further text productions from an introductory lesson about exponential functions are analysed, in which five pupils take part whose cognitive structures have been assessed and classified in individual examinations. The characteristics brought out according to these teaching scenes indicate different ideas and thinking processes of the pupils. The second part shows that the pupils’ behaviour described is not only to be regarded in isolation but it can also be found in longitudinal examinations and can therefore be considered as a stable, typical characteristic. These results lead to consequences for the planning and design of mathematics lessons based on a well-founded theory of cognition.