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.