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Online Math Lessons in Junior Grades of Primary School amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Theoretical Framework
With the introduction of the state of emergency and the transition of the
work of schools to distance learning, we faced the situation that the entire
educational system, as well as digital technologies were ‘put to the test’ (Lepp
et al. 2021, 5). ‘Teachers from all around the world were confronted with the
sudden need to adapt to online education’ (Mihajlović, Vulović, and Maričić
2021, 503). This situation provoked the following question: How did mathe-
matics education in the younger grades of primary school and all the actors
in the process – students, teachers, parents and the wider community – cope
with such circumstances?
The teaching of mathematics in the younger grades of primary school re-
quires a special approach to the contents, both because of its specificity and
the characteristics of thinking of students of that age. Mathematics educa-
tion at this level requires the teacher and the student to be face to face
during the teaching process. This is a consequence of the nature of math-
ematics, which is abstract and needs pedagogical approaches that enable
the student to adopt abstract forms and build mathematical knowledge and
experience. Learning in such teaching requires concreteness, clear obvious-
ness and good guidance of students in the process of learning and construc-
tion of knowledge. The situation in which teachers found themselves in the
changed circumstances called for a different approach to teaching, which
relied heavily on methods and technologies that had not been in the fore-
front until then. The teachers were confronted with the great variety of ap-
proaches provided by modern technology in the process of teaching and
learning mathematics in the online environment, and they realized that their
role in that process was crucial. ‘Choosing a particular curriculum area might
lead itself to a particular digital learning environment, and choosing a partic-
ular learning environment might lead to choosing a particular pedagogical
approach’ (Clark-Wilson et al. 2021, 2). The conditionality of the content of
mathematics, pedagogical approach and learning models in the online envi-
ronment required specific teachers’ competencies that they had to show as
organizers and implementers of teaching.
The constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportu-
nity for teachers, students and parents to work together, sharing their ideas,
views, experiences and knowledge. The different experiences and ideas used
by all participants in such organized teaching and learning created an inter-
nal diversity, which in turn enabled innovative ways of learning mathematics.
Online platforms replaced classrooms, but also offered opportunities for in-
83
Theoretical Framework
With the introduction of the state of emergency and the transition of the
work of schools to distance learning, we faced the situation that the entire
educational system, as well as digital technologies were ‘put to the test’ (Lepp
et al. 2021, 5). ‘Teachers from all around the world were confronted with the
sudden need to adapt to online education’ (Mihajlović, Vulović, and Maričić
2021, 503). This situation provoked the following question: How did mathe-
matics education in the younger grades of primary school and all the actors
in the process – students, teachers, parents and the wider community – cope
with such circumstances?
The teaching of mathematics in the younger grades of primary school re-
quires a special approach to the contents, both because of its specificity and
the characteristics of thinking of students of that age. Mathematics educa-
tion at this level requires the teacher and the student to be face to face
during the teaching process. This is a consequence of the nature of math-
ematics, which is abstract and needs pedagogical approaches that enable
the student to adopt abstract forms and build mathematical knowledge and
experience. Learning in such teaching requires concreteness, clear obvious-
ness and good guidance of students in the process of learning and construc-
tion of knowledge. The situation in which teachers found themselves in the
changed circumstances called for a different approach to teaching, which
relied heavily on methods and technologies that had not been in the fore-
front until then. The teachers were confronted with the great variety of ap-
proaches provided by modern technology in the process of teaching and
learning mathematics in the online environment, and they realized that their
role in that process was crucial. ‘Choosing a particular curriculum area might
lead itself to a particular digital learning environment, and choosing a partic-
ular learning environment might lead to choosing a particular pedagogical
approach’ (Clark-Wilson et al. 2021, 2). The conditionality of the content of
mathematics, pedagogical approach and learning models in the online envi-
ronment required specific teachers’ competencies that they had to show as
organizers and implementers of teaching.
The constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportu-
nity for teachers, students and parents to work together, sharing their ideas,
views, experiences and knowledge. The different experiences and ideas used
by all participants in such organized teaching and learning created an inter-
nal diversity, which in turn enabled innovative ways of learning mathematics.
Online platforms replaced classrooms, but also offered opportunities for in-
83
