When I was a student in China, textbooks were more about practice. Each textbook has a summary and sample questions of the topics which were then followed by a significant amount of practice questions. Looking back, the nature of those textbooks was about instrumental proficiency in the subject matter. The education system wanted all students to be perfect at fractions, algebra, trigonometry etc. Teachers checked if we finished our assigned homework everyday. As someone who enjoyed the operations at that time, I felt no issue about it. As a prospective educator now, I would say my experience is in the minority.
In the article, I was fascinated to see how the usage of pronouns can be a subtle trick for students' experience using the math textbook. In class, the 1930 textbook of financial mathematics I reviewed had 'you' in the instructions section and 'It' & 'They' in the topics. It speaks like a cold and harsh professor demanding your comprehension of the next example. Nowadays, textbooks have more colourful pictures, lively examples, and humour (sometimes from the author). This is a progression which I appreciate as a parent myself. The textbook should not be treated as a scripture for believers to follow and enact upon, it should be a hold-you-hand-and-walk-along-with-me experience for all learners.
You mentioned that textbooks in your experience focused heavily on practice and proficiency, and modern textbooks include more engaging elements like humor and visuals. How do you think a balance can be struck between ensuring rigorous practice and creating a more approachable, supportive experience for diverse learners?"
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