Teachers’ documentation work and technological resources: Teaching numbers in kindergarten

In this paper, we study teachers’ use of digital resources for teaching numbers in kindergarten (with pupils aged three to six). We draw upon the theoretical framework of the documentational approach, as well as on the notion of orchestration. We also refer to concepts from the theory of didactic situations. Mobilizing digital resources in mathematics requires teachers to devise new situations. This work is complex in terms of didactic choices, since it involves changes in teachers’ resources, practices, and knowledge. In this paper, we explore these aspects. Our research is based on the work of a group of researchers, trainers and teachers, and the MARENE group (MAllette de REssources pour le Nombre a l’Ecole), who develop pools of resources (software, tangible materials, scenarios) for teaching numbers in kindergarten. We examine the documentation work of two teachers over the long-term. These teachers are members of this group, and they put these pools of resources to use in their teaching.