España 
Italia 
United States 
Brasil 
Chile
Ecuador
Mexico
Colombia
Perú
This article shares the primary findings of a peer-reviewed research study published in the mathematics education scientific journal Simbiosis Educativa. If you would like to delve deeper into the complete methodology and detailed analysis, you can consult the original article: “Percepción del profesorado sobre un programa de matemáticas competencial y con base socioconstructivista.
There is a well-known gap in mathematics education: while current curricula and theoretical frameworks promote teaching that promotes understanding while developing mathematical processes, in many classrooms mechanical repetition and rote learning still predominate.
Educational resources that incorporate rich teaching guides centered on mathematical processes represent a promising way to change this reality, given their formative component. But their impact depends fundamentally on how they are received and interpreted by teachers. With this in mind, we decided to ask them directly: what do teachers think about Innovamat? And, even more important, how does their perception evolve as they acquire experience with the curricular proposal and the materials for the classroom?
A study with more than 7,000 teacher voices
We always say that our curricular proposal is made by teachers and for teachers. We believe it is essential to stay very close to the classroom to continue improving the resources we offer. For this reason, every year we send a survey to all the teachers who use the materials, with the goal of gathering their perceptions.
More than 7,000 teachers participate and, although we always read the comments to incorporate improvements, this year we went a step further: we analyzed systematically the responses collected in 2023 and 2024. The conclusions have been, without a doubt, very revealing.
Participants: teachers from various countries, mainly Spain, Mexico, Italy, and the United States, who cover the entire educational spectrum: from early childhood education to secondary school.
Longitudinal analysis: furthermore, 2,191 teachers responded to the survey in both editions, which has allowed us to carry out a unique longitudinal analysis to observe how their perception evolves over time.
Dimensions evaluated: we asked them to rate mathematics materials in general and to share their perception of the impact of Innovamat in different dimensions: the motivation and learning of the students, and also their own professional development.
Main findings: what the teachers told us
1. A positive general assessment
In general terms, the reception of the proposal is favorable. In the year 2023, the teachers recommended the use of Innovamat to other teachers with an average score of 7.14 out of 10, and the majority perceived a positive impact both on the students and on their practice. As we will see later, this score is even better in 2024.
But the most interesting part appears when we look at the nuances.
2. Meaningful learning vs. “learning more math”
One of the most revealing findings has to do with how teachers distinguish between quality and quantity in learning:
- Highest rated item: “With Innovamat, student learning is more meaningful” (66.5% agree or strongly agree and only 6.6% disagree).
- Lowest rated item: “With Innovamat, students learn more math” (49.8% agree or strongly agree and 12% disagree).
A possible interpretation is that some teachers interpret “learning more” as covering more content and knowing how to apply it, while “meaningful learning” could be understood as understanding the content more deeply instead of mechanizing or learning by heart.
Mathematics is much more than a repertoire of facts and algorithms to be memorized efficiently; it is, fundamentally, a discipline of searching for patterns, formulating conjectures, and logical and deductive construction. For this reason, most international curricula and experts agree that the main objective is to foster a deep conceptual understanding instead of the practice of opaque algorithms that do not foster understanding. Innovamat sessions follow these principles.
Therefore, the value is not so much in accelerating the curriculum as in guaranteeing that students build solid meanings and develop deep thinking processes.
3. More participation, beyond mathematics
Some highlighted results:
- 64% of the teachers perceive that with Innovamat there is more participation in class (and only 11% disagree).
- 43% perceive a “spill-over” effect: Innovamat has also influenced them in other subjects.
And this reveals a relevant impact of the use of the Innovamat proposal: the classroom management that the teachers develop with our materials goes beyond mathematics. Through training in the use of rich activities, appropriate scaffolding, and dialogue and participation as engines of learning, teachers acquire skills applicable to any subject. When students become protagonists of their own learning, this paradigm shift can permeate the entire educational practice.
4. Experience matters: the effect of the first to the second year
Teacher perception evolves over time.
Recommendation of the program to other teachers
- Study 1: In the 2023 survey, the teachers who had been using Innovamat for a longer time also recommended it more to other teachers.
- Study 2: The longitudinal analysis confirms and nuances these results. In general, a significant improvement is shown, but this is mainly due to the improvement in the assessment of the teachers who started using Innovamat in 2023. That is, the increase in the score seems particularly pronounced from the first to the second year of use.
Perception of the impact of the program
- Study 1: in the 2023 survey, the teachers who had more experience with Innovamat also scored better on the different impact questions, especially those related to their own professional development (learning mathematics and how to teach them). You can see this pattern in the following graph. On the left you have the results of the teachers who in 2023 had been using Innovamat for more than one year, while on the right you have the results of the teachers who were using it for the first time. The colors indicate what the average perception is about the impact of Innovamat on the following aspects: student motivation, their learning (more learning or more meaningful), as well as teacher motivation and their professional development (knowledge of mathematics and how to teach them).
- Study 2: The longitudinal analysis obtains slightly different results and helps to nuance the results of Study 1. On one hand, first-year teachers seem to improve significantly their perception of the impact of Innovamat on their professional development. In contrast, teachers who already had some experience with the program, after one year, move to having a less positive perception. This may be due to the familiarization with the program, which becomes a routine practice and, therefore, the impact is less evident. Another interpretation is that experience provides a more sophisticated and realistic understanding that helps to nuance teacher perceptions.
Analysis conclusions:
- The general assessment of the program improves with experience, especially from the first to the second year.
- Also, with more experience, the teachers see more impact of the program on their own professional development.
- On the other hand, with more experience, the teachers move to having a more nuanced view of the impact of the program in other aspects.
- Still, the general perception of the impact of the proposal in all aspects continues to be positive, and the vast majority of teachers perceive a positive impact.
Why is it important to listen to the teachers?
Teachers are key actors in learning: they are the ones who are in the classroom day-to-day and work directly with the students. Therefore, understanding their perceptions not only helps us to improve the materials, but also to identify the conditions that favor good professional development and allow the maximum benefit to be taken from the resources to drive learning.
This study suggests that the change in the classrooms towards a more competency-based learning of mathematics is, in general, well received by the teachers. When they are offered solid and well-founded resources, teachers value them and integrate them actively.
Limitations and next steps
This study analyzes teacher perceptions, not the effective impact on student learning. That is, it measures how teachers value the curricular materials, but does not directly evaluate the academic results of the students. On the other hand, voluntary participation may introduce biases, and most of the responses come from Spain and from primary.
Future research could include:
- Direct observations of the classroom.
- Analysis of student learning.
- A more balanced sample between countries and educational stages.
Conclusion: favorable conditions for change
The mostly positive reception of Innovamat —especially in meaningful learning and participation— indicates that there are solid foundations to move towards a more competency-based and reflective mathematics education.
The fact that the assessment improves with experience, especially in professional development, evidences that the materials not only benefit the students, but also the continuous growth of the teachers. And this is, probably, the key element to sustain a better learning of mathematics for everyone.
