What Categories of Teachers and Subject Advisers are involved in Curriculum Development in the Fort Beaufort District in the Eastern Cape Province? (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2024
The study focused on the effects of resource constraints on the teaching and learning of Grade 12 Mathematics in Gauteng Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in South Africa. It highlighted the historical and socioeconomic context of apartheid and its enduring effects on educational inequalities. The lack of resources in CLCs, including substandard facilities, scarcity of teaching materials, and underresourced teachers, was identified as a persistent issue. Grade 12 Mathematics is a vital subject for higher education and career paths, and proposed solutions include using deliverology and implementation science to mitigate these challenges. The methodology involved a multiple-case study design, with semi-structured interviews conducted with Grade 12 Mathematics teachers in CLCs in the Gauteng North region. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data gathered from the interviews. The findings highlighted a severe lack of resources in CLCs, reliance on outdated and borrowed materials, and a heavy burden on teachers to supply resources. Challenges included limited access to basic materials, financial and logistical strains on teachers, and a negative impact on teaching quality. Furthermore, the implications of these findings suggest that addressing resource constraints through these frameworks could significantly enhance the quality of Mathematics education in CLCs. The study recommends a strategic approach using deliverology and implementation science, focusing on structured goal setting, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, continuous improvement, policy advocacy, and technology integration to improve Grade 12 Mathematics delivery. These recommendations are aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of resource constraints and improving the teaching and learning of Grade 12 Mathematics in CLCs.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES, 2017
Mathematics cuts across all the fields of human endeavours in its wide application and mind development. Hence, this study focuses on the learners' perception on the importance of utilizing teaching resources in mathematics. It adopted case study research design of qualitative approach. A purposive sampling technique was used to select two learners in a selected high school in East London Education District South Africa. A semi-structured interview was used to elicit information from the respondents and the data was analysed using thematic approach according to the themes from the research questions formulated. The study revealed the efficacy of teaching resources for mathematics and how it helps the educators and learners to achieve their target goals. It also revealed the type of resources available in teaching mathematics. The study concluded that effective teaching of mathematics is through availability of resources and recommended that the school should endeavour to provide more recent resources that are technologically inclined.
Training of Mathematics Teachers in a South African University
The research reported in this paper examined the types of knowledge prioritized in two mathematics teacher training programmes in a South African university. To do this, focus was placed on the time spent training the future teachers in mathematics content knowledge, mathematics pedagogy knowledge and general pedagogy knowledge. Teacher trainees' surveys and institutional surveys and other programmatic material available online and at the university provided data that described the two teacher training programmes: the general education and training and the further education and training programmes. Descriptive analysis of teacher trainees' surveys and institutional surveys were also conducted. The findings revealed that the amount of time spent on mathematics content, mathematics pedagogy and general pedagogy in training teacher trainees and related programmatic characteristics is related to the proficiencies teacher trainees exit with from their preparation programmes.
Ndlovu 2018 Themes in Mathematics Teacher TPL Research in South Africa20191209 127517 79ewae
In this chapter, I review and identify themes in in-service mathematics teacher professional development/learning research in South Africa over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2015. No less than 92 journal articles were reviewed. Nine themes were identified as characterising research during this period. Mathematical knowledge for teaching and pedagogical content knowledge were the two most dominant themes. Subject matter knowledge was the fourth and closely aligned to the first two. Curriculum knowledge was the third most frequently occurring research theme and was also closely aligned to the first two. Together the first four themes constituted 54% of the research output for this period, an indication of the centrality of practising teachers' professional knowledge of school mathematics. Under-researched themes included the integration of ICTs in mathematics education as well as impact studies that were apparently constrained by lack of funding for large-scale research.
South African Journal of Childhood Education, 2020
Background: Research has indicated that young learners are capable of learning mathematics because they are born with an innate core of mathematics knowledge. Teachers of young learners are, therefore, expected to offer mathematical curriculum that exposes learners to a deep and explicit knowledge of high mathematics. Aim: The study aimed at Grade R in-service teachers' understanding of teaching mathematics in their classrooms. Setting: The study sampled five in-service Grade R teachers from four districts in Lesotho, while they were enrolled in an in-service programme at a college of Education. Methods: This is a qualitative approach, and a case study design was employed. Data sources included teachers' interviews, classroom observations and document analysis for instance, the teachers' files, lesson plans for Grade R curriculum for mathematics and course outline of mathematics offered to in-service teachers during their training in the Lesotho College of Education (LCE). Which focussed on four domains of knowledge, namely, common content knowledge, special content knowledge, knowledge of content and students, and knowledge of content and teaching. Results: The findings revealed that the in-service teachers in the LCE had insufficient understanding of the teaching of mathematics, which in turn had a negative influence on the teaching of mathematics in Grade R classes. Conclusion: Despite the Lesotho government's commitment to improving the learning of mathematics at the Grade R level. Teachers' difficulties raise concerns about the effectiveness of their teaching of mathematics.
Pythagoras, 2004
Various studies have shown that what teachers consider to be optimal ways of teaching mathematics is influenced by their beliefs about the nature of mathematics, and that it is advantageous to determine teachers' conceptions of the nature of mathematics before developing curriculum interventions. With the imminent introduction of Mathematical Literacy in the FET phase in South Africa this study provides a snapshot of beliefs of teachers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Various methods were employed to stimulate teachers to both reflect on their beliefs and to make them explicit. A questionnaire was administered to 339 in-service teachers in urban and rural areas of the Eastern Cape. A sample of ninetyfive of these teachers completed a second questionnaire based on videotapes of lessons recorded during the TIMSS (1995) study that they had viewed. These teachers also ranked their own teaching on a continuum ranging from traditional to constructivist approaches and provided explanations for their ranking. A further sub-sample of thirty-six teachers participated in individual interviews, which explored their perceptions of the nature of mathematics and their own teaching practice. In order to investigate whether these beliefs were mirrored in practice, four teachers were observed and videotaped in their classrooms. The data generated by this study suggest that the participating teachers' espoused beliefs of the nature of mathematics tended to be innovative, and correlated with innovative views of teaching and learning; however these views were often not reflected in their practice. The implications that the apparent inability of teachers to translate their beliefs into practice have for the introduction of a contextual, problem-based Mathematical Literacy curriculum for teachers is explored.
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2024
This study examined the challenges experienced in implementing the Grade 12 Mathematics curriculum in Community Learning Centres (CLCs). The study aimed to identify these challenges and explore the factors influencing challenges experienced by teachers towards curriculum implementation. The study utilized a multiple case study design and qualitative methods, to explore the challenges towards curriculum implementation. The data was collected through structured interviews with 12 teachers from different CLCs. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and identify key insights and findings. The participants of the study involved 12 teachers from different CLCs in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and the results from the interview questions, the study identified resource constraints, socio-economic disparities, teacher capacity issues, and infrastructure limitations as primary obstacles to effective curriculum implementation. Despite these challenges, many teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the curriculum, although frustrations persist due to inadequate resources, limited support, and insufficient training. The study recommends targeted interventions and policy initiatives to address these challenges, including investing in teacher training and professional development programs, addressing resource constraints and infrastructure limitations, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. By strategically addressing these challenges through the adoption of deliverology and implementation of science frameworks, CLCs have the potential to optimize student outcomes and foster equitable access to high-quality education for all students..
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2014
Under-performance in mathematics is a challenge in South African schools. The purpose of this study is to advance views expressed by teachers and learners on factors that facilitate learners' performance in mathematics. The participants in this research were educators and learners from historically disadvantaged schools from similar socioeconomic backgrounds in the Limpopo Province. Ten rural schools participated in the study, all government schools, with schools selected on the basis of their accessibility and performance. They represent both high-performing and low-performing schools in mathematics. Data were collected from learner focus group interviews and individual teacher interviews. Perceptions expressed by educators and learners from high-achieving schools and from low-achieving schools are juxtaposed and point to factors such as learners' and teachers' commitment and motivation, attitudes and self-concept, learners' career prospects, learners' perceptions of peers and teachers and teachers' perceptions of learners. These factors appear to influence disadvantaged learners' decisions to persist and achieve in mathematics despite their difficult circumstances.
In this chapter, I review and identify themes in in-service mathematics teacher professional development/learning research in South Africa over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2015. No less than 92 journal articles were reviewed. Nine themes were identified as characterising research during this period. Mathematical knowledge for teaching and pedagogical content knowledge were the two most dominant themes. Subject matter knowledge was the fourth and closely aligned to the first two. Curriculum knowledge was the third most frequently occurring research theme and was also closely aligned to the first two. Together the first four themes constituted 54% of the research output for this period, an indication of the centrality of practising teachers’ professional knowledge of school mathematics. Under-researched themes included the integration of ICTs in mathematics education as well as impact studies that were apparently constrained by lack of funding for large-scale research.
ICME-13 Monographs, 2018
In this chapter, I review and identify themes in in-service mathematics teacher professional development/learning research in South Africa over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2015. No less than 92 journal articles were reviewed. Nine themes were identified as characterising research during this period. Mathematical knowledge for teaching and pedagogical content knowledge were the two most dominant themes. Subject matter knowledge was the fourth and closely aligned to the first two. Curriculum knowledge was the third most frequently occurring research theme and was also closely aligned to the first two. Together the first four themes constituted 54% of the research output for this period, an indication of the centrality of practising teachers' professional knowledge of school mathematics. Under-researched themes included the integration of ICTs in mathematics education as well as impact studies that were apparently constrained by lack of funding for large-scale research.