Teaching mathematics with children’s literature in Finland
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Abstract
The Finnish school system will transfer to the new Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 in 2016. The new curriculum
emphasizes integration of subjects. In Finland, mathematics and the mother tongue are the two subjects which are taught
the most and therefore play a significant role in every primary teacher’s weekly routine. Unlike English-speaking countries,
Finland lacks children’s literature aimed towards use in mathematics teaching. This study aimed to understand teachers’ and
teacher-trainees’ points of view on the extent to which they use children’s literature in teaching mathematics in primary
school and how to efficiently use children’s literature in teaching mathematics in primary school. This study was a part of an
international study entitled ‘Teachers’ beliefs on the integration of children’s literature in primary mathematics learning and
teaching: A comparative study’, including universities from England, Hong Kong, Australia, and Finland. The aim was to
determine teachers’ beliefs concerning integration of children’s literature into mathematics teaching and to the extent to
which this benefits learning. Data collection was conducted via web-based questionnaires translated into Finnish from spring
to autumn 2015. Mixed methods data analysis showed that teachers/teacher-trainees do not use children’s literature in
mathematics teaching, but they still recognize various ways to implement it into their teaching. Previous studies on the use
of literature in mathematics teaching show that children’s literature may provide a meaningful context to develop
mathematical skills and foster children’s positive attitudes towards mathematics, as the stories in the literature are
presented in an engaging and approachable manner.
Keywords: Mathematics, children’s literature, teaching.
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