Development and application of math teaching-learning materials: Perspective of primary section teachers from English medium schools

Abstract

Integrating diverse teaching and learning materials in math classes is an effective strategy for developing students' conceptual understanding. Students construct knowledge through discovery as they engage with real-life objects. This study explores the application of teaching-learning materials in primary section math classes in English-medium school settings. The focused areas of this study are: teachers' perceptions of developing and integrating diverse materials; teachers' classroom practices; school guidelines and support; and, lastly, the challenges of implementing those materials. To conduct the research, a qualitative approach was employed. The data of this study were collected through in-depth interviews and classroom observations of 12 math teachers from 6 English-medium schools in Dhaka city. The analysis used an inductive thematic approach, which revealed that teachers consider using diverse materials the most important plan of action, as it can engage all types of learners and help contextualize math in real life. The teachers used mostly low-cost, no-cost, sensory, and easily available objects for lesson delivery and student engagement. Some schools have systematic guidelines for using Teaching-Learning-Materials in math classes and provide various forms of support, whereas the rest lack a strict policy. All schools arrange PDT to improve overall teaching practice, but very few focus on math capacity-building. However, implementing TLMs can be challenging, as they are time-consuming and resource constraints are common in newly established schools. Moreover, some teachers require pedagogical soundness about the strategic implementation of TLMs. This study proposes extensive, specialized teacher-training sessions on the strategic and effective use of TLMs in math classes. It also recommends establishing a common guideline for all English-medium schools so that teachers can follow the same direction and maintain a high teaching standard.