Abstract:
There is a large and growing body of theoretical literature to support the change from single-cell, single-teacher traditional classroom environments to multi-teacher, multi-class ‘Modern Learning Environments’ or MLEs. This change is a common experience for many teachers and students in the current New Zealand educational context. However, at present there is little empirical literature to directly support the suggested benefits of transition to a MLE for teachers and students. This study aimed to assist in eliminating this gap in the research by examining the impact of such a transition on teacher-student interactions in mathematics. The setting was a decile 10 state primary school in the centre of a large New Zealand city. The participants were three Year 4 teachers and 12 Year 4 students aged between 8 and 9 years. Data gathering via teacher observations, student questionnaires, and teacher and student interviews occurred on two occasions. Data were first collected in a single-cell, single-teacher classroom environment and then again seven weeks after transition to a multi-teacher, multi-class MLE. The frequency, duration and types of interaction, and types of feedback were compared. The study found that changes in teacher-student interaction and feedback largely stemmed from substantial differences in teacher practices within the MLE, rather than the physical environment of the MLE itself. This finding is consistent with other literature that suggests the effective use of the physical elements of a learning environment is highly contingent on the pedagogical practices that evolve within it. The finding of decreased interaction with lowerachieving students suggests that particular consideration needs to be given to these students in the process of transition to a MLE. Teacher expectation of greater student agency in the MLE was supported by the findings. However, this raised important implications for those students who are less likely to take initiative or have poor self-regulation skills. The change to a co-teaching situation with larger numbers of students created challenges for teachers, such as greater organisational complexity and reduced knowledge of individual students. Appropriate professional learning and development is suggested to assist teachers to successfully meet these challenges and adequately support students in the process of transition.