Comparison of the Classroom Practices of Finnish and Icelandic Mathematics Teachers

Mathematics teachers in Finland and Iceland are on different tracks. Based on a recent video study, the classroom practices of Finnish mathematics teachers seem to be rather traditional. This is in contrast to the Icelandic teachers many of whom use progressive-minded, learner-based instructional st...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lasse Savola
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Columbia University Libraries 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/8f273e6b35284d26905fffef8432954f
Description
Summary:Mathematics teachers in Finland and Iceland are on different tracks. Based on a recent video study, the classroom practices of Finnish mathematics teachers seem to be rather traditional. This is in contrast to the Icelandic teachers many of whom use progressive-minded, learner-based instructional strategies. The classroom practices in Finland include substantial whole-class interaction, while many students in Iceland are getting used to learning independently, without significant collaboration with others. This paper discusses three pedagogical dimensions on which mathematics teaching in Finland and Iceland differ: individualization, learner control, and content-related discourse.