Math Task Framework:

[ Foremost, what are tasks?] 

Stein and Smith, two mathematics authors, refer to tasks as "segment[s] of classroom activity that [are] devoted to the development of a particular mathematical idea," (1998a) and write, "the day-in and day-out cumulative effect of classroom based tasks leads to the development of students' implicit ideas about the nature of mathematics" (1998a). This means that students’ concept of mathematics rely on the various tasks implemented within a classroom. For this reason, it is important to include a variety of tasks in the classroom, each with a specific intented student learning outcome in mind. When classifying tasks, Stein and Smith emphasize, “we first consider the students - their age, grade level, prior knowledge and experiences - and the norms and expectations for work in their classroom" (Stein and Smith, 1998b), an important addendum implying that teachers have to take their specific class’ characteristics into consideration.