A Poetic Inquiry Into the Curriculum and Instruction of Early Career Elementary Mathematics Teachers

• In Event: The Arts and Creation of Beauty

Abstract

This study explores the curricular and instructional practices of 12 early-career elementary mathematics teachers working within school districts that have adopted standardized curricula. This study draws from the transcripts of 24 structured interviews. The interview transcripts revealed that these 12 teachers tended to defer to their curriculum materials and pacing guides when developing their lesson plans, with special attention paid to the modeling of procedures as well as to issues of time management and ability grouping of students. The poem developed out of these transcripts presents an evocative portrait of how standardized curriculum and predetermined learning objectives can shape teachers’ curriculum and instruction.

Author

• Aaron Samuel Zimmerman, Texas Tech University