Elementary Teachers' Use of Teacher-Created Mathematics Curricular Materials: Focus on TeachersPayTeachers and Pinterest

• In Event: Elementary Teachers' Mathematics Curricular Decision Making: Multiple Resources, Multiple Truths

Abstract

Perspectives, Objectives, and Method of Inquiry

In a 2021 national survey of 500 elementary teachers, most respondents (85%) reported using at least one mathematics curricular resource which was only available online. Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) was the most widely used resource, with at least 40% of the teachers using it both before and during the COVID pandemic; Pinterest, another website offering teacher-made resources, was used by approximately 15% of the teachers (Authors, 2021). Given this widespread use along with reports of use from the five case study teachers, we further investigated their use of TPT and Pinterest with a series of questions, asking them (a) which types of mathematics curricular materials from these sources they find most useful, (b) to provide examples of resources used from each website along with a rationale for their use, and (c) to share their strategies for choosing and evaluating the resources.

Results

Although all five teachers reported using TPT and four teachers use Pinterest, the frequency of their use of these resources varied significantly, from “rarely” to “daily.” Mary, the teacher who reported rarely using TPT, only turns to these online resources when a particular standard is not addressed in the primary curriculum, enVision Math. Audrey and Sarah, the second-grade teaching team, reported using TPT approximately once a week to enhance students’ learning opportunities. In contrast, Jamie reported using TPT every day, saying “I'd probably say materials I found on Teachers Pay Teachers or other sites like that is probably my primary source.” The teachers reported having complete control of their use of TPT and Pinterest; that is, the district did not require or monitor their use of these resources. Teachers did, however, mention that they usually had to pay for these materials themselves.

Teachers reported using TPT primarily for multidisciplinary project- and theme-based lessons. For example, Audrey planned a week-long baseball unit in which students investigated how to make the Commissioner’s Cup hold a baseball. Sarah, a self-proclaimed lover of science, found a STEM unit focused on plant life cycles and pollination that that highlighted math-science cross-curricular connections, and students in Kasie’s class learned about the concept of area in their design of a leprechaun village for St. Patrick’s Day. Pinterest was reportedly used less often than TPT by the teachers, but they expressed appreciation for “creative” materials they could find there for anchor charts and bulletin boards, as well as “ready-made” resources (e.g., Jeopardy review game, task cards). When asked how they made decisions about the materials to use from TPT and Pinterest, teachers reported multiple criteria and processes utilized for their selection, including using search filters (e.g., grade level, standard, topic, event such as “earth day”); checking previews of particular materials to establish an appropriate level of mathematical “rigor;” and reading reviews written by other teachers who have downloaded the materials. They expressed appreciation for the community of teachers engaged on TPT and Pinterest and the evaluations of resources written by current elementary teachers.

Authors

• Bima K. Sapkota, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley
  Presenting Author

• Jill Annette Newton, Purdue University
  Presenting Author