Design-Research-Based Curriculum Innovation

Abstract

In this article design-based curriculum innovation is presented as an alternative for the RDD approach that was in vogue in the 1960s and 1970s (and which seems to have resurfaced in the form of evidence-based curriculum innovation). Limitations of the RDD model are discussed and design research is offered as an alternative. It is noted that current design research in mathematics education in general involves a constructivist orientation. This complicates matters, as it requires a specific classroom culture and a deep understanding of how the mathematics that has to be learned might be constructed by the students. With RME as a domain-specific instruction theory that offers heuristics on how to design instruction that aims at supporting students in constructing mathematics, issues of teacher professionalization and teacher support are discussed.