In 2017 the Department for Education endorsed and partially subsidised the adoption of a maths curriculum package for primary schools called ‘Maths, No Problem!’ which claimed to teach ‘for mastery’. This research investigates the curriculum intent of Maths, No Problem! and the role of teacher agency in the enactment of it by enthusiastic adopters in schools. A detailed analysis of the website, associated blog posts and a sample of workbooks, textbooks and lesson plans written by Maths, No Problem! was conducted to determine design principles that were then used as a basis for comparison in four case studies when interviewing and observing seven primary school teachers, each teaching three sequential lessons using the program. The analysis determined 8 lesson design principles and 5 core competencies that were upheld by teachers when both delivering the package and deviating from it with their own improvisations and structural lesson changes. However, teachers across each case study tended to create an imbalance in teaching for relational and instrumental knowledge development by reducing or removing lesson phases focused on instrumental knowledge. This research concludes that a prescribed curriculum package designed to be teacher-enabling rather than teacher-proof can result in enactment closely aligning with intent, sometimes resulting in teacher agency enhancing their own general pedagogy and the package itself. These findings offer further insights into the role of textbooks and curriculum packages in the development of teachers through the lens of enthusiastic adopters, and the potential effects of teacher agency on the enactment of the intended curriculum.
| Date of Award | 30 Apr 2024 |
|---|
| Original language | English |
|---|
| Supervisor | Kate Lavender (Main Supervisor) |
|---|