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

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.