See also: Resource-Based Curriculum
There are hundreds of skills in mathematics. Teaching these skills through 100 different bespoke activities creates a problem: students spend considerable class time processing the surface structure of each task (Chi et al., 1981), consuming working memory capacity needed for mathematical thinking (Cowan, 2001; Sweller et al., 2019).
Standardising the format, such as through booklets and a few high-value task structures, addresses this issue:
References
Chi, M. T. H., Feltovich, P. J., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5(2), 121-152. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0502_2
Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1), 87-114. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X01003922
Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (2019). Cognitive architecture and instructional design: 20 years later. Educational Psychology Review, 31(2), 261-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09465-5