Abstract
Complexity thinking prompts us to consider remodeling our curriculum in a nonlinear recursive way. However, what a recursive mathematics curriculum can look like is not clear. This article employs a concept analysis on recursion and explores multiple interpretations of recursion in various contexts, including mathematics, computer programming, complexity thinking, and curriculum theory. It explores possible strategies that mathematics teachers can use to facilitate students’ recursion, with a particular focus on review. Practical suggestions are made upon the examination of examples drawn from the author’s teaching practices. This article helps to distinguish recursion from its synonyms such as repetition and reflection, highlights the importance and practical implications of recursion in mathematics curriculum, and points to possible directions for future inquiry into recursive mathematic curriculum.
