Changing the Manner of Teaching Mathematics in the Pandemic Era as a Chance to Reduce School Failures

Abstract

This text contributes to the debate on the change in the way of teaching mathematics as it responds to the shifts caused by the transition to distance learning during the pandemic. The author analyses the conclusions of contemporary publications and international research alongside teaching experiences related to various aspects of the functioning of mathematics teachers, the efficacy and quality of their work as well as the issue of their education and improvement. In the course of literature research, probing questions on the pandemic-era school failures occurring in mathematics have clearly highlighted inequalities in the education system. The author analyses the application of ICT in distance learning, which has significantly stimulated processes and phenomena linked to the functioning of an individual in schooling. The time of the pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the Polish education system and necessitated reflection on the future of Polish schooling. When the magnitude of failures in mathematics does not decrease but remains constant, it is imperative that the reason why it is the leading subject of school failures is determined. Therefore, it is important to establish the new role of the mathematics teacher in the process of changes prompted by distance learning.