Change in mathematics education during a time of crisis: Reflections through the lens of complexity constructs

The year 2020 will be remembered as the time when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. Almost overnight, all educational activities pivoted to online platforms and teaching and learning was navigated in uncharted terrains. In mathematics education, concerns about sustaining online teaching and learning of mathematics have generated efforts in using digital technologies. In this paper, we use the lens of complexity theory and in particular the constructs of agents, interaction, dispersed control, and emergence to describe top-down and bottom-up mechanisms for change within the sudden shift to emergency remote teaching and learning. The authors’ collaborative work was carried out through online meetings discussing observations on and insights about their experience as mathematics teacher educators during the COVID-19 pandemic and traction data in three locally available online platforms. The main findings indicate two government-led, top-down initiatives, and three community-led bottom-up initiatives. The results suggest that mathematics teachers, mathematics teacher educators, and mathematics teacher consultants served as actors within the larger system. We discuss the possibilities and constraints of mathematics education in a time of crisis through the lens of complexity theory and offer trajectories for further research.