**1. Introduction**

As in many other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures throughout Austria. To ensure that all students were taught during this time, classes were switched to distance learning without teachers and students learning how to deal with this situation. For three school years, teachers, students and parents had to react flexibly due to the constantly changing regulations. This caused a number of problems for all of them. One of the main problems arose from the organization of school, teaching and education, which was still based on the nineteenth-century factory model [1].

Another problem arose from the technical equipment of Austrian elementary schools, although media education is included in the Austrian curriculum for elementary schools [2]. Therefore, neither the teachers nor the students had the necessary skills to cope with distance learning at the beginning.

Especially in the subject of mathematics, the implementation of distance learning was a challenge for many teachers. In mathematics, the curriculum calls for

activity-based, tool-supported instruction through which children can develop an understanding of mathematical principles and relationships [3]. However, during distance learning, in many cases, there was a lack of opportunities to provide didactic materials for action-oriented instruction. This could have negative effects on the development of mathematical skills in elementary school children.

Therefore, a research study addressed whether students who could work with didactic materials in an action-oriented way in mathematics classes before the school closures could benefit from the acquired skills during distance learning.

After an examination of the theoretical background, the results of this research are presented in this article.
