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Papers by Willy Mwakapenda
Afrika Focus
In its recent attempt to improve the quality of education in Malawi, the Malawian Ministry of Edu... more In its recent attempt to improve the quality of education in Malawi, the Malawian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology changed its secondary school curriculum; the new curriculum began to be implemented in 2017. So far, little is known about the challenges facing the implementation of this new secondary school curriculum. It is against this background of a knowledge gap that this study was undertaken: to investigate in depth the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum from the perspectives of school management, and ways of overcoming those challenges to improve the implementation. The study adopted the concerns-based adoption model. This model describes the process of change experienced by those at school level attempting to implement the new curriculum. The theory is concerned with the effect of the nature of the investment in people, time and resources as they pertain to the implementation of educational innovations. The study was conducted in four seco...
Research in mathematics education, 2021
University of the Witwatersrand, Sep 1, 1995
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2009
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2003
Abstract: This article reports on an investigation that used concept mapping to explore first-yea... more Abstract: This article reports on an investigation that used concept mapping to explore first-year university students' understanding of key secondary mathematical concepts. The extent to which these students were able to make connections between concepts was a focus in the ...
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2014
Mathematics and culture are often interconnected, making school mathematics intimately linked to ... more Mathematics and culture are often interconnected, making school mathematics intimately linked to the society in which it is taught. In response to this connection, mathematics educational reform policies indicate that learners should be getting an education which is connected to their cultures. Contexts are seen to be useful insofar as they provide access to school mathematics. This article focuses on the reverse, that is, using school mathematics to deepen our understanding of cultural activities, largely based on the notion that the mathematics content learnt in schools will be transferred by learners to use in their daily lives. We propose that this reverse practice calls for learners who are mathematically, socially and epistemologically empowered through mathematics education. We argue that mathematics classrooms rarely establish mathematics as an essential tool for understanding and changing the world. Critical pedagogy is not being valued as an emerging pedagogic agenda in mathematics education. Also the advanced nature of cultural practices need more advanced mathematical knowledge possibly to respond to the complexity of the practices. The qualitative study from which this article emerges worked with three mathematics teachers and their Grade 9 learners from one rural school (situated very close to a cultural village). An attempt was made to try and connect mathematics concepts to cultural activities. Based on the analysis of data collected over an extended period of ethnographic and participant classroom observation, we argue that school mathematical knowledge can be used to read and understand cultural practices deeper.
Pythagoras, 2004
Understanding is one of the most important traits associated with the attainment of educational g... more Understanding is one of the most important traits associated with the attainment of educational goals. However, Nickerson (1985) observes that although the concept of understanding is a fundamental one for education, “what it means to understand is a disarmingly simple question to ask but one that is likely to be anything but simple to answer” (p. 215). A significant concern in school mathematics is learner understanding of mathematical concepts.
Pythagoras, 2010
This paper presents findings from a pilot study that investigated the extent to which teachers ma... more This paper presents findings from a pilot study that investigated the extent to which teachers make connections between mathematical concepts and concepts from other disciplines. Data from concept maps and interviews were collected. The analysis revealed that the kinds of connections teachers made are closely tied to teachers’ disciplines of specialisation. The findings suggest that for some teachers, though desirable, it may not be feasible to require them to make connections with disciplines that are not within their areas of specialisation. This presents tensions for learners learning mathematics in classrooms where opportunities for making connections between mathematics and other learning areas are available but are neither taken up nor appropriately used by teachers.
South African Journal of Education, 2008
I identify and discuss ways in which different types of connections are described in the South Af... more I identify and discuss ways in which different types of connections are described in the South African mathematics National Curriculum Statement and its related documents, particularly at the Further Education and Training (FET) level. I argue that connections are central to the way the discipline of mathematics, its learning outcomes, and assessment standards are conceptualised. The notions of representation and integration are found to be key aspects in understanding connections in mathematics. Using these two notions, I then analyse connections in the National Curriculum Statement and its related documents. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of connections in the curriculum are identified.
This article opens up a discussion on the power tha t teachers have in mathematics curriculum at ... more This article opens up a discussion on the power tha t teachers have in mathematics curriculum at the Fu rther Education and Training level. It is related to the general question: who holds the power in school mat hematics education in South Africa? To what extent is the te acher given an opportunity to exercise their power in mathematics assessment? If the teacher is given pow er, what does that power allow teachers to do, and under what conditions does this happen? The case of mathe tics is presented here to illustrate the above co mplex questions of teacher power in new forms of assessme nt in the curriculum. Introduction From the vantage point of new forms of assessment, this article is an attempt to unpack the question o f teacher power by looking at how teachers are positioned in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Assessment Guidelines for Mathematics (Grades 10-12, Departmen of Education (DoE), 2005). I focus on the new assessment guidelines for two reasons. Firstly it i ...
This study used a collaborative and reflective case study approach to investigate the extent to w... more This study used a collaborative and reflective case study approach to investigate the extent to which everyday experiences can be used as a vehicle for changing learning and teaching of secondary school mathematics in Malawi. It documents constraints and possibilities of achieving change in two severely overcrowded and poorly-resourced classes.
There are widespread calls for mathematics to be taught in ways that it is seen to be meaningful ... more There are widespread calls for mathematics to be taught in ways that it is seen to be meaningful to learners and links with their everyday realities. In South Africa, the new curriculum urges teachers to make explicit links between mathematics and other school curriculum areas. However, approaches to put these aspirations into practice are not clear, particularly in the context of realities of schooling in typical township classrooms. This paper reports on an exploration involving the use of a school tuckshop and vegetable garden as contexts for learning mathematics and making connections between mathematics and other learning areas. Teachers’ perceptions about the extent to which this may be a viable approach are investigated. It is noted that while teachers see constraints in this approach, the researcher’s experiences with the school context and conditions of schooling in South Africa point to immense possibilities that this approach presents for making meaningful connections wit...
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
The aim of this study was to investigate the English syllabus of Tamil Nadu Equitable Education s... more The aim of this study was to investigate the English syllabus of Tamil Nadu Equitable Education system or Uniform System of School Education or Samacheer Kalvi Thittam with respect to the teachers' perspective. The method of this study was Descriptive Method. Stratified proportionate sampling method was followed by administering a close-ended questionnaire. Proportionately nine different schools, three government schools, three government aided schools and three self-financing schools in and around Trichy district, Tamil Nadu were selected for the study. Three English teachers from each school, tota lof twenty-seven teachers were sampled. The responses from the teachers were measured as Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. More favourable responses were received from the teachers' towards the syllabus. The conclusion of the study establishes that the English syllabus of the system is good when compared to the previous one. The study recommends that the syllabus may be framed in depth so that it enables the students to appear for competitive examinations.
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
Afrika Focus
In its recent attempt to improve the quality of education in Malawi, the Malawian Ministry of Edu... more In its recent attempt to improve the quality of education in Malawi, the Malawian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology changed its secondary school curriculum; the new curriculum began to be implemented in 2017. So far, little is known about the challenges facing the implementation of this new secondary school curriculum. It is against this background of a knowledge gap that this study was undertaken: to investigate in depth the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum from the perspectives of school management, and ways of overcoming those challenges to improve the implementation. The study adopted the concerns-based adoption model. This model describes the process of change experienced by those at school level attempting to implement the new curriculum. The theory is concerned with the effect of the nature of the investment in people, time and resources as they pertain to the implementation of educational innovations. The study was conducted in four seco...
Research in mathematics education, 2021
University of the Witwatersrand, Sep 1, 1995
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2009
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2003
Abstract: This article reports on an investigation that used concept mapping to explore first-yea... more Abstract: This article reports on an investigation that used concept mapping to explore first-year university students' understanding of key secondary mathematical concepts. The extent to which these students were able to make connections between concepts was a focus in the ...
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2014
Mathematics and culture are often interconnected, making school mathematics intimately linked to ... more Mathematics and culture are often interconnected, making school mathematics intimately linked to the society in which it is taught. In response to this connection, mathematics educational reform policies indicate that learners should be getting an education which is connected to their cultures. Contexts are seen to be useful insofar as they provide access to school mathematics. This article focuses on the reverse, that is, using school mathematics to deepen our understanding of cultural activities, largely based on the notion that the mathematics content learnt in schools will be transferred by learners to use in their daily lives. We propose that this reverse practice calls for learners who are mathematically, socially and epistemologically empowered through mathematics education. We argue that mathematics classrooms rarely establish mathematics as an essential tool for understanding and changing the world. Critical pedagogy is not being valued as an emerging pedagogic agenda in mathematics education. Also the advanced nature of cultural practices need more advanced mathematical knowledge possibly to respond to the complexity of the practices. The qualitative study from which this article emerges worked with three mathematics teachers and their Grade 9 learners from one rural school (situated very close to a cultural village). An attempt was made to try and connect mathematics concepts to cultural activities. Based on the analysis of data collected over an extended period of ethnographic and participant classroom observation, we argue that school mathematical knowledge can be used to read and understand cultural practices deeper.
Pythagoras, 2004
Understanding is one of the most important traits associated with the attainment of educational g... more Understanding is one of the most important traits associated with the attainment of educational goals. However, Nickerson (1985) observes that although the concept of understanding is a fundamental one for education, “what it means to understand is a disarmingly simple question to ask but one that is likely to be anything but simple to answer” (p. 215). A significant concern in school mathematics is learner understanding of mathematical concepts.
Pythagoras, 2010
This paper presents findings from a pilot study that investigated the extent to which teachers ma... more This paper presents findings from a pilot study that investigated the extent to which teachers make connections between mathematical concepts and concepts from other disciplines. Data from concept maps and interviews were collected. The analysis revealed that the kinds of connections teachers made are closely tied to teachers’ disciplines of specialisation. The findings suggest that for some teachers, though desirable, it may not be feasible to require them to make connections with disciplines that are not within their areas of specialisation. This presents tensions for learners learning mathematics in classrooms where opportunities for making connections between mathematics and other learning areas are available but are neither taken up nor appropriately used by teachers.
South African Journal of Education, 2008
I identify and discuss ways in which different types of connections are described in the South Af... more I identify and discuss ways in which different types of connections are described in the South African mathematics National Curriculum Statement and its related documents, particularly at the Further Education and Training (FET) level. I argue that connections are central to the way the discipline of mathematics, its learning outcomes, and assessment standards are conceptualised. The notions of representation and integration are found to be key aspects in understanding connections in mathematics. Using these two notions, I then analyse connections in the National Curriculum Statement and its related documents. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of connections in the curriculum are identified.
This article opens up a discussion on the power tha t teachers have in mathematics curriculum at ... more This article opens up a discussion on the power tha t teachers have in mathematics curriculum at the Fu rther Education and Training level. It is related to the general question: who holds the power in school mat hematics education in South Africa? To what extent is the te acher given an opportunity to exercise their power in mathematics assessment? If the teacher is given pow er, what does that power allow teachers to do, and under what conditions does this happen? The case of mathe tics is presented here to illustrate the above co mplex questions of teacher power in new forms of assessme nt in the curriculum. Introduction From the vantage point of new forms of assessment, this article is an attempt to unpack the question o f teacher power by looking at how teachers are positioned in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Assessment Guidelines for Mathematics (Grades 10-12, Departmen of Education (DoE), 2005). I focus on the new assessment guidelines for two reasons. Firstly it i ...
This study used a collaborative and reflective case study approach to investigate the extent to w... more This study used a collaborative and reflective case study approach to investigate the extent to which everyday experiences can be used as a vehicle for changing learning and teaching of secondary school mathematics in Malawi. It documents constraints and possibilities of achieving change in two severely overcrowded and poorly-resourced classes.
There are widespread calls for mathematics to be taught in ways that it is seen to be meaningful ... more There are widespread calls for mathematics to be taught in ways that it is seen to be meaningful to learners and links with their everyday realities. In South Africa, the new curriculum urges teachers to make explicit links between mathematics and other school curriculum areas. However, approaches to put these aspirations into practice are not clear, particularly in the context of realities of schooling in typical township classrooms. This paper reports on an exploration involving the use of a school tuckshop and vegetable garden as contexts for learning mathematics and making connections between mathematics and other learning areas. Teachers’ perceptions about the extent to which this may be a viable approach are investigated. It is noted that while teachers see constraints in this approach, the researcher’s experiences with the school context and conditions of schooling in South Africa point to immense possibilities that this approach presents for making meaningful connections wit...
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
The aim of this study was to investigate the English syllabus of Tamil Nadu Equitable Education s... more The aim of this study was to investigate the English syllabus of Tamil Nadu Equitable Education system or Uniform System of School Education or Samacheer Kalvi Thittam with respect to the teachers' perspective. The method of this study was Descriptive Method. Stratified proportionate sampling method was followed by administering a close-ended questionnaire. Proportionately nine different schools, three government schools, three government aided schools and three self-financing schools in and around Trichy district, Tamil Nadu were selected for the study. Three English teachers from each school, tota lof twenty-seven teachers were sampled. The responses from the teachers were measured as Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. More favourable responses were received from the teachers' towards the syllabus. The conclusion of the study establishes that the English syllabus of the system is good when compared to the previous one. The study recommends that the syllabus may be framed in depth so that it enables the students to appear for competitive examinations.
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education