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Charting new directions: supporting the enactment of Ireland’s Primary Mathematics Curriculum
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Globally, education systems are now preparing children for a world in which there is increasing uncertainty and unpredictability in the environmental, technological, social, economic and political domains. Climate change, the growing role of artificial intelligence in our lives, the Covid-19 pandemic, global conflict and a perceived loss of confidence in democratic institutions are among the drivers of this uncertainty. As our society evolves and changes, so also do the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions that children will need in order to thrive as individuals and to be agents of positive change. Among the ways in which education systems have responded is through an increased emphasis on promoting sustainable development, wellbeing, social justice, creativity, scientific and technological literacy and children’s capacity for agency.
Curriculum reform has been a key measure in the response of education systems to a changing world. Internationally, a focus on student agency has been a recurring feature of reform efforts. Student agency has been defined broadly by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as ‘the ability and the will [of students] to positively influence their own lives and the world around them '
( 1 ). The OECD Learning Compass 2030 is an evolving learning framework that sets out an aspirational vision for the future of education in participating countries. Its choice of a compass as a central motif is significant.
The metaphor of a learning compass was adopted to emphasise the need for students to learn to navigate by themselves through unfamiliar contexts, and find their direction in a meaningful and responsible way, instead of simply receiving fixed instructions or directions from their teachers.’ ( 2 ).
It is fitting that the metaphor chosen was a compass, rather than a map. The global landscape is changing so swiftly and unpredictably that a map might only be useful for a limited period. The use of the compass reflects an aspiration to give children the ability to find their bearings and navigate their own way in the world.
The enactment of redeveloped curricula has been underway in Ireland for over a decade. The Framework for Junior Cycle ( 3 ) and associated specifications have featured in schools since 2015. Senior cycle redevelopment is ongoing, with the first tranche of new specifications due to be introduced in schools from September 2025. In primary education, the Primary Curriculum Framework for Primary and Special Schools ( 4 ) was published in 2023. This sets out the principles of learning, teaching and assessment that inform the Primary Language Curriculum ( 5 ) and the Primary Mathematics Curriculum ( 6 ), both of which are already being enacted in schools. The Primary Curriculum Framework also informs the ongoing development of specifications for other curriculum areas.
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In this chapter, we reflect on some of the key factors influencing the enactment of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Some of these factors have relevance beyond the subject of Mathematics and influence the realisation of the overall vision and principles set out in the Primary Curriculum Framework.
Ireland’s redeveloped curricula are ‘learning-outcomes based’ curricula. It is important to reflect on what this means for teaching, learning and assessment in schools. Learning outcomes are statements detailing ‘the expected learning and development for children at the end of a period of time’ ( 7 ). The learning outcomes with which teachers are asked to work in the redeveloped primary curriculum are typically broader in scope than the curriculum objectives that provided a reference point for teaching and learning in the Primary School Curriculum 1999 ( 8 ). The breadth of learning outcomes means that teachers have a greater role in ‘making decisions about what to teach, when to teach it, and how to sequence and pace learning’ ( 9 ). This allows for increased teacher agency and explicitly recognises the role of the teacher in shaping the curriculum in response to the strengths and needs of the children in their particular context.
The meaning of ‘curriculum’ in this new paradigm is not something that resides in the published text, but is constructed through interactions between the published guidance, teachers, learners and others. Curriculum is understood as a social process of shared sense-making among those involved in enactment, as well as the learner experiences that emerge from that process. Key participants in this process include teachers, school leaders, designers of curriculum frameworks and specifications, policy makers, support services and inspectors. The social dimension of this process helps to ensure that the curriculum is mediated and moderated in line with the broad curriculum vision.
In this paradigm, curriculum is understood as something that evolves through multi-directional interactions in the system rather than something that is being delivered in a top-down process ( 10 ) Also, curriculum making is understood as an ongoing, iterative process of policy mediation, rather than a linear process in which the system has one shot at implementation fidelity.
For the Inspectorate, its primary concern is to ensure that this process leads to positive outcomes for children. It is important that the enhanced teacher agency associated with a learning-outcomes based curriculum supports the provision of learner experiences that are responsive to the needs and strengths of the class and child.
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The Primary Mathematics Curriculum, published in 2023, was developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment through an extensive process of research, consultation, deliberation, and networking. The curriculum specification presents the broad learning outcomes for the content strands and strand units at each of the four stages of primary education. The Primary Mathematics Toolkit ( 11 ) provides critical support for teachers and school leaders in their decisions about ‘what to teach, when to teach it, and how to sequence and pace learning’. The toolkit contains a range of support materials that teachers can draw from as they enact the curriculum. These are being continuously reviewed and developed in response to the needs of children and teachers. The resources in the toolkit include concise statements of the key mathematical concepts to be learned in relation to each learning outcome. They also include progression continua that outline a sample learning path for each element within the strand units.
From September 2023, school leaders and teachers were required by the Department of Education to explore and become familiar with the Primary Mathematics Curriculum, and to work towards implementation from September 2024. That introductory year for exploration
provided a space for engagement in the shared sense-making to which we referred earlier. During this period, inspectors used professional conversations with teachers and school leaders as opportunities to affirm and encourage the key pedagogical practices promoted in the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Since September 2023, Oide ( 12 ) has provided an extensive suite of professional learning experiences for teachers and school leaders in support of the redeveloped curriculum.
The Primary Mathematics Curriculum identifies five key pedagogical practices as essential to the provision of high-quality learner experiences in Mathematics:
- Fostering productive disposition
- Using cognitively challenging tasks
- Promoting maths talk
- Emphasising mathematical modeling
- Encouraging playfulness.
We will now reflect on important considerations in relation to the implementation of these dynamic and interconnected pedagogical practices, in light of evidence from inspection
This pedagogical practice involves the teacher actively promoting a sense of mathematical learning as a rich and purposeful activity. Among other things, it involves providing learner experiences that are enjoyable and engaging, and that promote risk taking and perseverance. Being mathematical is one of the seven key competencies of the Primary Curriculum Framework. This requires that children be supported in their application of mathematical thinking to real-life situations. The integration of Mathematics into the curriculum area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) supports the fostering of productive disposition by drawing attention to the wider uses and applications of mathematical learning.
Evidence indicates that the fostering of productive disposition is well established in many primary schools. Inspection reports from the first half of 2024, prior to the widespread enactment of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum, refer frequently to high levels of motivation, enjoyment and engagement by children in lessons in Mathematics. Inspectors associated this especially with learner experiences in which children had opportunities to be active, to make choices and decisions and to complete practical tasks. The provision by teachers of learning environments that are conducive to learning in Mathematics is commendably widespread in the culture of primary education in Ireland. Inspection reports frequently affirm engaging classroom displays. They also acknowledge the effective provision, management and use of a range of relevant concrete materials and other mathematical resources in the learning environment.
Where provision for Mathematics was judged to be highly effective, teachers assigned an active role to children, which included encouraging them to formulate, ask and answer their own questions. Teachers communicated high expectations for what all children could achieve and linked the focus of new learning with topics in other areas of Mathematics or other curriculum areas. In conversation with inspectors, children frequently demonstrated a good understanding of the relevance of their learning in Mathematics to real-life situations.
There are two particular issues in relation to the fostering of productive disposition that are worthy of careful consideration in the professional conversations and interactions that take place around the enactment of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. The first of these relates to the fostering of a positive disposition to Mathematics among girls. Recent cycles of large-scale assessments of achievement show a concerning pattern regarding the achievement of girls in Ireland in mathematical literacy. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported in 2022 ( 13 ) that the difference in achievement between males and females in mathematical literacy in Ireland was greater than the average difference across countries in the OECD. Only two of our comparator countries had greater differences between male and female students in Mathematics. Female students were particularly under-represented at the highest proficiency levels.
The National Assessment of Mathematics and English Reading (NAMER) conducted in 2021 ( 14 ) found that sixth-class boys outperformed girls overall in Mathematics and on each of the individual content areas and process skills. In the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2023 ( 15 ), boys in second year outperformed girls in Mathematics. Second-year girls’ achievement had decreased significantly since 2019. When considering how to foster productive disposition, it is important to be cognisant of these patterns of achievement in Mathematics by gender, and to consider the extent to which learner experiences in primary school might be contributing to them.
The second issue concerns the way in which textbooks are used. In many instances, inspectors have reported that teachers are over-reliant on children’s textbooks when making those fundamental decisions about ‘what to teach, when to teach it, and how to sequence and pace learning’. Children’s textbooks are a useful resource for teaching and learning. However, an over-reliance on them can lead to learner experiences that impede the development of a productive disposition regarding Mathematics. It is important that professional conversations around curriculum enactment address how textbooks can be used to support, rather than replace, teacher agency. Over-reliance on textbooks for the content, sequencing and pacing of class programmes can lead to learner experiences that are less responsive to the context of the individual school, class or child. However, where a teacher is familiar with the relevant concept statements and progression continua in the Primary Mathematics Toolkit, this can lead to the use of textbooks in combination with other resources in a way that fosters a productive disposition to Mathematics.
Cognitively challenging tasks are rich, higher-order learning opportunities that should appropriately stretch and challenge children’s conceptual understanding as they encounter significant mathematical ideas and situations. These tasks not only support meaningful mathematical exploration but also promote persistence, resilience and productive dispositions essential for long-term success in Mathematics. Among the key themes of Ireland’s Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033 ( 16 ) is a recognition that greater challenge is required for higher achieving learners. This priority emerged from findings of successive cycles of national and international assessments. In PISA 2022, the percentage of Irish students performing at the highest proficiency levels in mathematical literacy was lower than the OECD average and lower than that of all of our comparator countries. A similar pattern of achievement by Irish learners has been evident in NAMER and TIMSS, in which primary school children participate. The data is telling us that we have children and young people who are capable of achieving at the highest levels in mathematical literacy but who are not doing so.
It is useful to look at this data on achievement alongside what inspection reports tell us about the learner experiences being provided in schools. Inspection reports tell us that there is scope for improvement in the differentiation of learner experiences for different levels of ability in Mathematics. In particular, the need to provide greater challenge for more able learners has been identified as an issue in both primary and post-primary education. There is also scope for improvement in areas of teachers’ practice associated with improved outcomes for more able students. These include the use of assessment to inform differentiated teaching and learning, and a need for greater use of open-ended, enquiry-based learning that supports the development of higher-order skills. Almost one quarter of inspection reports arising from curriculum evaluations in Mathematics in the first half of 2024 had a main recommendation regarding the differentiation of learning to meet the diverse needs of children and to provide greater levels of challenge for more able learners.
The Primary Mathematics Curriculum, like other redeveloped primary specifications, offers an opportunity for teachers to shape the curriculum in response to the strengths and needs of the class and the child. The components of the Primary Mathematics Toolkit are essential supports for the differentiation of learning and teaching for all children, including those who are ready for greater cognitive challenges. Mathematical concepts relating to each learning outcome provide reference points on which teachers can assess prior learning and pitch and pace learner experiences for optimal cognitive challenge. Progression continua support the decision-making process by signposting a sample trajectory of development in each strand unit in terms of key elements of learning: understanding and connecting; communicating; reasoning; applying and problem solving. The provision of a separate progression continuum for each element acknowledges that even within a strand unit, an individual child’s progression may vary by element.
Promoting maths talk is an essential pedagogical practice that supports children in communicating and sharing their mathematical ideas in order to develop and deepen their understanding. Inspection reports often contain positive commentary regarding the modelling of mathematical language by teachers and the way in which teachers communicate and explain mathematical concepts and procedures. For a number of years, however, inspectors have reported that children sometimes find it challenging to demonstrate and discuss their learning in Mathematics. They have identified a need for greater opportunities for children to share and develop their mathematical thinking and ideas through talk and discussion. They also recommended that teachers allow time for children to talk about their learning and to think about the next steps in their learning journey.
In the first half of 2024, almost one third of inspection reports on curriculum evaluations in Mathematics contained a main recommendation relating to the development of children’s mathematical language. Inspectors recommended that mathematical vocabulary be taught explicitly, as new vocabulary would be in a language lesson. More importantly, inspectors recommended that teachers provide learning activities in which children were required to use the language independently.
In relation to promoting maths talk, there is a high level of alignment between the vision set out in the curriculum specification and the messages being communicated by inspectors. Inspection reports are identifying significant scope for development in this pedagogical practice, which is considered essential for high-quality provision for Mathematics.
Mathematical modeling involves children using Mathematics to describe real-world problems and possible solutions. Children form models through a process of testing, revising and expressing their interpretation of different mathematical ideas and experiences. This involves the application of abstract mathematical ideas to concrete situations. It is important therefore that children be given opportunities to try different ways of communicating and developing their conceptual models. These might include physical actions, spoken words, objects, images, symbols or written words. As children’s knowledge, understanding and experience grows, they may develop more formal, sophisticated and efficient models that they can use to connect and communicate their ideas.
In inspection reports on curriculum evaluations with a focus on Mathematics, the area that featured most frequently in main recommendations in the later part of the 2023-2024 school year was the development of mathematical communication. In their recommendations, inspectors often indicated that the development of mathematical language would assist children in reflecting on and communicating their own learning and in reasoning, justifying and generalising their strategies.
The Primary Mathematics Curriculum emphasises the mutually supporting relationship across the five key pedagogical practices. The link made in inspection reports between promoting maths talk and emphasising mathematical modelling corresponds to the emphasis in the curriculum specification on the interconnectedness of the five key pedagogical practices. Mathematical modelling depends on the ability to communicate mathematical ideas. It supports the fostering of productive disposition and the provision of cognitive challenge. The concept statements and progression continua in the Primary Mathematics Toolkit provide important support for teachers as they guide children in sharing and developing their thinking about mathematical models. There are also specific supports including suggestions for teaching, suggestions for children’s learning, suggestions for key language and suggestions for the learning environment available in the toolkit. These relate to promoted pedagogical practices within each Strand Unit.
Play and playfulness are understood to be fundamental to teaching and learning across all areas of the redeveloped primary curriculum. The Primary Mathematics Curriculum is very clear about the rationale for encouraging playfulness and the way in which playful approaches support mathematical modelling, maths talk, cognitive challenge and the promotion of productive disposition. It draws attention to how playful approaches provide opportunities for exploration, investigation, challenge, creativity, choice and independence.
Such opportunities are essential for high-quality provision for Mathematics. Encouraging play in Mathematics also supports children in taking ownership and responsibility for their own learning.
There is considerable work to be done in promoting a common understanding about how to promote and articulate appropriately playful and engaging learning experiences in middle and senior classes in the primary school. Recent incidental inspections with a focus on educational transitions strongly identified a need to prioritise the development of teachers’ understanding of progression in playful pedagogy from junior infants to sixth class. The provision of advice, support and guidance for teachers and school leaders on this may be one of the most influential contributions that the Inspectorate and support services can make to the process of curriculum making in Mathematics and other subjects.
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Effective use of assessment underpins the key pedagogical practices of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Given the incremental nature of mathematical learning, it is very important that teachers have a solid knowledge of children’s prior learning and understanding. This knowledge informs teachers’ decisions about the next steps on the child’s mathematical learning journey and the supports that they may need in order to take those steps. Prior learning can be assessed through any activity that offers children opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment featured in main recommendations in one quarter of inspection reports on curriculum evaluations in Mathematics in the first half of 2024. Inspectors recommended frequently that schools use assessment data as a basis for planning for progression in learning for all children. Some reports recommended the use of assessment to evaluate the impact of particular in-class interventions and to inform future planning. Inspectors often recommended that teachers use evidence from assessment to identify children for whom more challenging learning experiences should be provided.
There was also frequent reference to the need to develop children’s capacity for self-assessment. Enabling children to monitor their own progress was associated with fostering greater ownership of learning, and responsibility for learning, among children. The Chief Inspector’s Report (2016-2020) ( 17 ) noted that, in questionnaires completed by children during inspections, one fifth of children stated that they did not know how they were doing in Mathematics. In many inspection reports, recommendations regarding assessment were linked to desired improvement in areas associated with the five key pedagogical practices of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Inspectors sometimes articulated their recommendations regarding assessment in terms of benefits associated with maths talk and the provision of appropriate cognitive challenge. Developing children’s capacity for self-assessment of learning was linked to benefits associated with fostering productive disposition. It is notable that a recognition that assessment needs to be used more effectively is among the key themes of Ireland’s Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033 ( 18 ).
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The chapter reflected on the curriculum paradigm that informs the framework, specifications and supporting resources for the redeveloped primary curriculum. This is a paradigm in which teachers and school leaders have an enhanced role in shaping the curriculum in response to the context of their schools, classrooms and the individual strengths and needs of children. The process of enacting the curriculum is not a simple one-shot, top-down exercise, but one that involves teachers and others in an iterative, multi-directional process of shared sense-making.
This is the context in which the five key pedagogical practices of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum were considered. Professional conversations to support teachers and school leaders in these practices have begun in the course of school inspections. However, the frequency of Inspectorate recommendations associated with the key pedagogical practices also indicates a need for ongoing support if curriculum redevelopment is to bring the desired benefits for learners. Assessment is central to the effective enactment of the key pedagogical practices. While there is scope for improvement in relation to the use of assessment to support progression in children’s learning, it is positive that steps are already being taken to address this need in our system.
There are other important contextual considerations that should inform the multi-directional interactions that will shape the enactment of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. While international assessments place learners in Ireland among the highest achieving in the world, the achievement of our learners in mathematical literacy has not improved in recent cycles of these assessments. It is important that we consider if learner experiences in primary schools are contributing in any way to differences in achievement in these assessments by gender. It is also worth considering why the domain associated with the curriculum strand of Shape and space is persistently an area of relative weakness in the performance of learners in Ireland.
The Inspectorate and others have a key role to play in supporting teachers and school leaders in enacting the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. Work has commenced on the development of guidance in relation to curriculum leadership in primary schools. It will also involve support for shared sense-making with regard to many of the issues raised in this chapter. In its evaluation and advisory work, the Inspectorate will continue to support teachers and school leaders in using the new curriculum architecture to respond to the needs of children and their families and communities. This will include support for the use of the Primary Mathematics Toolkit as an essential resource to inform teachers’ decisions as they work with the broad learning outcomes of the redeveloped curriculum.
Enhanced agency for teachers and school leaders in making decisions about what to teach, when to teach it, and how to sequence and pace learning invites a reconsideration of our approaches to quality assurance at school and system level. This too will feature in the conversations that unfold as we continue to shape the curriculum in a way that enables learners to positively influence their own lives and the world around them.
