From Knowledge Transmitters to Learning Facilitators: Curriculum Differences and Teacher Identity in China and Ontario

Introduction (Context/Justification)
Globalization and migration have made cross-cultural teacher development a vital area of inquiry. Teachers trained in different curricular traditions must adapt to divergent expectations regarding pedagogy, assessment, and the purposes of education. Drawing on experiences as a mathematics teacher in China and a teacher candidate in Ontario, this study examines how contrasting curricular systems shape teacher identity—from China’s unified, exam-driven model that positions teachers as knowledge transmitters to Ontario’s differentiated, inquiry-based curriculum that encourages teachers to become learning facilitators.

Goals and Methods
This study explores three questions: (1) How do teachers construct professional identity within unified versus differentiated curricular systems? (2) What tensions and opportunities arise in cross-cultural teacher development? (3) How do teachers reconcile these differences? The analysis is guided by the Five Contexts framework and the Curriculum × Technology × Democracy model. Autobiographical reflections, policy documents, and classroom practices form the qualitative data set. An interpretive, cross-context thematic analysis is used to examine how teachers negotiate meaning, navigate expectations, and reconstruct identity within and across systems.

Results (Obtained or Expected)
Findings indicate that unified curricula promote stability and accountability but limit autonomy and creativity, while differentiated curricula foster inclusion and flexibility yet introduce new pressures related to resource gaps and teacher workload. Teachers navigating both systems develop a form of “identity bilingualism,” negotiating between performance-oriented and relational approaches to teaching.

Conclusions
The study argues that curriculum systems function as moral and political structures that shape teachers’ professional selves. Cross-cultural teacher education should emphasize reflective practice, culturally responsive assessment, and integrated use of technology to support identity reconstruction in increasingly globalized classrooms.