Translating Curriculum Reform to the Mathematics Classroom: The Myth of the Resistant Teacher
Abstract
This research investigated teachers' experiences of enacting curriculum reform in secondary mathematics education in Ireland, focusing on the integration of problem-solving in classroom practice. Based on qualitative data generated through semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers, the analysis revealed a complex interplay of challenges experienced by teachers attempting to enact the reform. These include contextual constraints such as insufficient instructional resources, consideration of the role of the teacher, and beliefs about the teaching and learning of problem-solving and mathematics more generally. Most pertinent to the challenges of enacting reform were views of problem-solving as a peripheral "add on" to the subject, as opposed to a core element of mathematical thinking. Where teachers were implementing problem-solving in their classroom, their efforts led to excessive workload and the potential for burnout. Focusing on three exemplar teacher profiles, the research findings suggested that a lack of curriculum enactment is not due to teachers resisting the reform, but rather due to failures within the system to support teachers through appropriately designed professional development and relevant curriculum materials. This article concludes with suggestions to move beyond disjointed, off-site professional development toward sustained support that addresses tensions between cultural considerations of a teacher's role and the pedagogical skills involved in facilitating problem-solving.
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