What Challenges Does the 21st Century Impose on the Knowledge of Primary School Teachers Who Teach Mathematics? An Analysis from a Latin American Perspective

Abstract

Curricula are usually pointed out as one of the factors that delimit teacher’s knowledge. In this context, this study analyzes the requirements for teacher’s knowledge that can be found in the curricular guidelines of Mathematics Education in the three Latin American countries belonging to the OECD to educate in sustainability. For this, a content analysis has been carried out that examines the meaning given to the teaching and learning of mathematics that would allow the development of key sustainability competences. The results show a teaching-learning process of mathematics that is not very aligned with education for sustainable development, with a low presence of key competences for sustainability. These results represent a roadmap, both for teacher training institutions and for providing a new educational approach that allows Mathematical Education to contribute to educating in sustainability in Primary Education. This new approach should promote students’ understanding of the different problems (social, economic, and environmental) that we are faced with, as well as the measures that must be adopted to transform and act towards a more sustainable world.