The bridge21 model of 21st century learning in the mathematics classroom – Teachers’ perspectives

Abstract

Research highlights a need for a structured approach, consistent support and continuous professional development for teachers in order to facilitate the development of 21st Century pedagogies and the integration of technology, as well as to support their changing role in the classroom. This chapter describes a particular model of 21st Century teaching and learning, and explores teachers’ experiences of its implementation in their classrooms. A total of 15 teachers who attended a Contextual Mathematics module on a postgraduate certificate course provided consent for their data to be used in this study. A qualitative, case study approach has been taken in order to explore the teachers’ experiences of using the model of teaching and learning, as well as their perceptions of the students’ experiences. A constant comparative analytic technique has been used to analyze their written reflections. Results indicate that the approach has the potential to address many of the issues associated with the integration of 21st Century teaching and learning, identified in the literature.