Emergency remote teaching as a window into elementary teachers’ mathematics instructional systems in Finland and the U.S

• Published in: International journal of educational research open 2023-12, Vol.5, p.100286, Article 100286
• Main Authors: Krzywacki, Heidi, Condon, Lara, Remillard, Janine T., Machalow, Rowan, Koljonen, Tuula, Steenbrugge, Hendrik Van
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Cross-cultural; Curriculum resources; Elementary mathematics; Elementary teachers; Emergency remote teaching; Instructional system; Resource systems
• ISSN: 2666-3740; 2666-3740
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100286

•Interview study of finnish and U.S. teachers during emergency remote teaching (ERT).•Authors propose a model of teachers’ instructional systems for mathematics teaching.•Adaptations in approaches during ERT highlight differences related to cultural norms.•Analysis surfaced context-specific beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics. This cross-cultural study examines how elementary mathematics teachers in Finland and the United States shifted their instructional systems during the period of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in the spring of 2020. Using Ruthven's (2009) framework of Structural Features of Classroom Practice, researchers analysed 15 teachers’ descriptions of their mathematics teaching during ERT in contrast to their typical practice. Exploring how teachers in both contexts navigated challenges of ERT through a cross-cultural lens allowed researchers to identify similarities and differences in teaching practices and use of activity formats, synthesized in composite models of teachers’ instructional systems. The differences in the systems can be traced to underlying cultural assumptions about the nature of elementary mathematics education and the roles of teachers, students, and curriculum resources within each system.