Navigating the seas of the curriculum: A mathematics teacher’s interactions with curriculum materials

Ljerka Jukić Matić 1 *
More Detail
1 School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, University of Osijek, Osijek, CROATIA
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 12, Issue 4, pp. 468-488. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/14912
Published Online: 05 August 2024, Published: 01 October 2024
OPEN ACCESS   822 Views   463 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Curriculum materials are not a fixed object; they are an active partner in a teacher’s practice. Teachers and curriculum materials interact in a participatory relationship where both the characteristics of the teacher and the characteristics of the curriculum material affect the instruction. Teachers interpret and tailor these materials to create particular instructional strategies, therefore, teachers can be considered as lesson designers. The study presented in this paper uses longitudinal case study design to investigate the relationship between a mathematics teacher and curriculum materials over a period of nine years. Using the lens of curricular noticing, the study examined what the teacher attends to, interprets and responds to while planning a lesson. Data collection occurred at four distinct time points, encompassing both teacher observations during lesson planning and interviews after lesson planning, as well as the teacher’s lesson plans for the same topic at each time point. The obtained longitudinal data provided comprehensive insights into how the teacher’s curricular noticing changed over time and how it affected the teacher’s practice. The findings show that the teacher attended the national curriculum and textbook at all four time points, indicating the stability of these particular resources; however, the interpretation of the textbook elements and response to this interpretation changed significantly. The teacher’s practice became more student-centered and inquiry-oriented. The implications of the study are also discussed.
Keywords: curricular noticing, mathematics teacher, longitudinal study, curriculum materials

CITATION

Jukić Matić, L. (2024). Navigating the seas of the curriculum: A mathematics teacher’s interactions with curriculum materials. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 12(4), 468-488. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/14912

REFERENCES

  • Act on Textbooks and Other Educational Materials for Primary and Secondary School. (2018). The Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, 116/2018. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2018_12_116_2288.html
  • BERA. (2024). Ethical guidelines for educational research (5th ed.). British Educational Research Association.
  • Brown, M. (2009). The teacher-tool relationship: Theorizing the design and use of curriculum Materials. In J. T. Remillard, B. A. Herbel-Eisenmann, & G. M. Lloyd (Eds.), Mathematics teachers at work: Connecting curriculum materials and classroom instruction (pp. 17–36). Routledge.
  • Carrillo-Yañez, J., Climent, N., Montes, M., Contreras, L. C., Flores-Medrano, E., Escudero-Ávila, D., Vasco, D., Rojas, N., Flores, P., Aguilar-González, A., Riberio, M., & Muñoz-Catalán, M. C. (2018). The mathematics teacher’s specialised knowledge (MTSK) model. Research in Mathematics Education, 20(3), 236–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2018.1479981
  • Choppin, J. (2011). The impact of professional noticing on teachers’ adaptations of challenging tasks. Mathematics Thinking and Learning, 13, 175–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2010.495049
  • Choppin, J., Roth McDuffie, A., Drake, C., & Davis, J. (2015). Curriculum metaphors in U.S. middle school mathematics. In T. G. Bartell, K. N. Bieda, R. T. Putnam, K. Bradfield, & H. Domingues (Eds.), Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 65–72). Michigan State University.
  • Choppin, J., Roth McDuffie, A., Drake, C., & Davis, J. (2020). The role of instructional materials in the relationship between the official curriculum and the enacted curriculum. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 24(2), 123–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/10986065.2020.1855376
  • de Guzman, A. B., & Adamos, J. L. (2020). Like the layers of an onion: curricular noticing as a lens to understand the epistemological features of the Philippine K to 12 secondary mathematics curriculum materials. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 19, 389–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-020-09264-8
  • Dietiker, L., Males, L. M., Amador, J. M., & Earnest, D. (2018). Curricular noticing: A framework to describe teachers’ interactions with curriculum materials. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 49(5), 521–532. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.49.5.0521
  • Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008), The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62, 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x
  • Erickson, F. (2011). On noticing teacher noticing. In M. G. Sherin, V. R. Jacobs, & R. A. Philipp (Eds.), Mathematics teacher noticing: Seeing through teachers’ eyes (pp. 17–34). Routledge.
  • Fan, L., Zhu, Y., & Miao, Z. (2013). Textbook research in mathematics education: Development status and directions. ZDM Mathematics Education, 45(5), 633–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-013-0539-x
  • Jacobs, V. R., Lamb, L. C., & Philipp, R. A. (2010). Professional noticing of children’s mathematical thinking. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 41(2), 169–202. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.41.2.0169
  • Johansson, M. (2006), Textbooks as instruments. Three teachers’ way to organize their mathematics lessons. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 11(3), 5–30.
  • Jukić Matić, Lj. (2018). Teacher as a lesson designer. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 9(2), 139-160. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.722
  • Jukić Matić, Lj., & Glasnović Gracin, D. (2015). Teacher and textbook: Reflection on the SDT-model. In K. Krainer, & N. Vondrová (Eds.), Proceedings of the Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 3072-3076). Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education and ERME.
  • Jukić Matić, Lj., & Glasnović Gracin, D. (2019). The influence of teacher guides on classroom practice. In Z. Kolar-Begović, R. Kolar-Šuper, & Lj. Jukić Matić (Eds.), Towards new perspectives on mathematics education (pp. 149-172). Fakultet za odgojne i obrazovne znanosti i Odjel za matematiku, Sveučilište u Osijeku.
  • Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. SAGE.
  • Males L. M., & Setniker A. (2019). Planning with curriculum materials: Interactions between prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ attention, interpretations and responses. International Journal of Educational Research, 93, 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.09.016
  • Mills, A. J., Durepos, G., & Wiebe, E. (2010). Encyclopedia of case study research (Vol. 1). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412957397
  • MSE. (2019a). Kurikulum predmeta matematika [Curriculum of the school subject mathematics]. Ministry of Science and Education.
  • MSE. (2019b). Pravilnik o izmjenama i dopunama pravilnika o tjednim radnim obvezama učitelja i stručnih suradnika u osnovnoj školi [Regulations on amendments to the regulations on the weekly work duties of teachers and professional associates in primary schools]. The Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, 102/2019. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2019_10_102_2060.html
  • MSES. (2006). Nastavni plan i program [Educational plan and program]. Ministry of Science, Education and Sport.
  • MSES. (2014). Pravilnika o tjednim radnim obvezama učitelja i stručnih suradnika u osnovnoj školi [Regulations on the weekly work duties of teachers and professional associates in primary schools]. The Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, 34/2014. https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2014_03_34_613.html
  • Parrish, C. W., Snider, R. B., & Creager, M. A. (2023). Investigating how secondary prospective teachers plan to launch cognitively demanding tasks. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 26(3), 395–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-022-09534-7
  • Pepin, B., Gueudet, G., & Trouche, L. (2013). Re-sourcing teachers’ work and interactions: A collective perspective on resources, their use and transformation. ZDM Mathematics Education, 45(7), 929–943. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-013-0534-2
  • Prediger, S., Barzel, B., & Hußmann, S. (2021). Towards a research base for textbooks as teacher support: The case of engaging students in active knowledge organization in the KOSIMA project. ZDM Mathematics Education, 53(6), 1233–1248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-021-01245-2
  • Rabardel, P. (2002). People and technology: A cognitive approach to contemporary instruments. université paris 8. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01020705
  • Remillard, J. (2005). Examining key concepts in research on teachers’ use of mathematics curricula. Review of Educational Research, 75(2), 211–246. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075002211
  • Remillard, J., & Heck, D. J. (2014). Conceptualizing the curriculum enactment process in mathematics education. ZDM Mathematics Education, 46(5), 705–718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-014-0600-4
  • Remillard, J., & Kim, O. (2017). Knowledge of curriculum embedded mathematics: Exploring a critical domain of teaching. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 96(1), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-017-9757-4
  • Rezat, S. (2024) Research on curriculum resources in mathematics education: A survey of the field. ZDM Mathematics Education, 56, 223–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-024-01559-x
  • Roth McDuffie, A., Choppin, J., Drake, C., & Davis, J. D. (2018a). Middle school mathematics teachers’ orientations and noticing of features of mathematics curriculum materials. International Journal of Educational Research, 92, 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.09.019
  • Roth McDuffie, A., Choppin, J., Drake, C., Davis, J. D., & Brown, J. (2018b). Middle school teachers’ differing perceptions and use of curriculum materials and the common core. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 21, 545–577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-017-9368-0
  • Saldaña, J. (2003). Longitudinal qualitative research: Analyzing change through time. Walnut AltaMira Press.
  • Schmidt, W. H., Jorde, D., Cogan, L., Barrier, E., Ganzalo, I., Moser, U., Shimizu, K., Sawada, T., Valverde, G. A., McKnight, C., Prawat, R. S., Wiley, D. E., Raizen, S. A., Britton, E. D., & Wolfe, R. G. (1996). Characterizing pedagogical flow: An investigation of mathematics and science teaching in six countries. Kluwer.
  • Sherin, M. G., Jacobs, V. R., & Philipp, R. A. (2011). Situating the study of teacher noticing. In M. G. Sherin, V. R. Jacobs, & R. A. Philipp (Eds.), Mathematics teacher noticing: Seeing through teachers’ eyes (pp. 3–13). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203832714
  • Smith, M., Steele, M. D., & Raith, M. L. (2017). Taking action: Implementing effective mathematics teaching practices in grades 6-8. NCTM.
  • Tran, D., & O’Connor, B. D. (2023). Teacher curriculum competence: How teachers act in curriculum making, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 56(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2023.2271541
  • Trouche, L., Adler, J., & Remillard, J.T. (2023). Conceptualizing teachers’ interactions with resources in crossing languages and cultures. ZDM Mathematics Education, 55(3), 497–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01488-1
  • Valverde, G. A., Bianchi, L. J., Wolfe, R. G., Schmidt, W. H., & Houang, R. T. (2002). According to the book: Using TIMSS to investigate the translation of policy into practice through the world of textbooks. Kluwer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0844-0_8
  • van Es, E. (2011). A framework for learning to notice student thinking. In M. G. Sherin, V. R. Jacobs, & R. A. Philipp (Eds.), Mathematics teacher noticing: Seeing through teachers’ eyes (pp. 134–151). Routledge.
  • van Es, E. A., & Sherin, M. G. (2008). Mathematics teachers’ “learning to notice” in the context of a video club. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 244–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.11.005
  • Van Steenbrugge, H., & Ryve, A. (2018). Developing a reform mathematics curriculum program in Sweden: Relating international research and the local context. ZDM Mathematics Education, 50(5), 801–812. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-018-0972-y
  • Wartofsky, M. W. (1979). Models: Representation and the scientific understanding. Reidel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9357-0_10
  • Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research design and methods (5th ed.). SAGE.