An investigation of teachers’ experiences of a Geoboard intervention programme in area and perimeter in selected Grade 9 classes: a case study
- Authors: Mkhwane, Fezeka Felicia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Manipulatives (Education) , Effective teaching , Area measurement , Perimeters (Geometry) , Problem solving -- Study and teaching , Geoboard Intervention Programme , RUMEP
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61646 , vital:28045
- Description: The study was undertaken with three Grade 9 teachers at three selected schools which are part of RUMEP’s Collegial Cluster Schools’ programme that I coordinate. Collegial clusters are communities of teachers who aim at improving their practice by working on their own professional development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the selected Grade 9 teachers’ experiences of a Geoboard intervention programme. It also wanted to investigate the role that a Geoboard can play in the teaching and learning of area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes. The research was a case-study within the interpretive paradigm. A variety of data collection techniques was used. These included baseline assessment tasks, observations during the intervention programme, post intervention assessment tasks and semistructured interviews with the participating teachers and a few learners from each participating school. The collected data was analysed using both the quantitative and qualitative methods. My research findings reveal that a Geoboard, as a manipulative, developed confidence in the participating teachers. In the interviews with teachers, it transpired that teachers’ skills in teaching area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes had been sharpened. According to the interviews with learners, the use of a Geoboard led to better conceptual understanding of the area and perimeter, as learners no longer had to rely on formulae. Kilpatrick et al. (2001) refer to conceptual understanding as an integrated functional grasp of mathematical ideas. The post intervention assessment task showed a positive shift in learners’ performance. The average learner performance improved from 29% in the baseline assessment task to 61% in the post intervention assessment task. This shows that the use of a Geoboard led to meaningful learning of area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes. The overall research findings reveal that the use of manipulatives has a positive impact in the teaching and learning of area and perimeter. Learners’ responses to the interview questions showed that there was better understanding of the two concepts, which enabled them to construct their own knowledge. They further said the Geoboard allowed them to be hands-on, which contributed to their active involvement in the lesson.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Mkhwane, Fezeka Felicia
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Manipulatives (Education) , Effective teaching , Area measurement , Perimeters (Geometry) , Problem solving -- Study and teaching , Geoboard Intervention Programme , RUMEP
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61646 , vital:28045
- Description: The study was undertaken with three Grade 9 teachers at three selected schools which are part of RUMEP’s Collegial Cluster Schools’ programme that I coordinate. Collegial clusters are communities of teachers who aim at improving their practice by working on their own professional development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the selected Grade 9 teachers’ experiences of a Geoboard intervention programme. It also wanted to investigate the role that a Geoboard can play in the teaching and learning of area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes. The research was a case-study within the interpretive paradigm. A variety of data collection techniques was used. These included baseline assessment tasks, observations during the intervention programme, post intervention assessment tasks and semistructured interviews with the participating teachers and a few learners from each participating school. The collected data was analysed using both the quantitative and qualitative methods. My research findings reveal that a Geoboard, as a manipulative, developed confidence in the participating teachers. In the interviews with teachers, it transpired that teachers’ skills in teaching area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes had been sharpened. According to the interviews with learners, the use of a Geoboard led to better conceptual understanding of the area and perimeter, as learners no longer had to rely on formulae. Kilpatrick et al. (2001) refer to conceptual understanding as an integrated functional grasp of mathematical ideas. The post intervention assessment task showed a positive shift in learners’ performance. The average learner performance improved from 29% in the baseline assessment task to 61% in the post intervention assessment task. This shows that the use of a Geoboard led to meaningful learning of area and perimeter of two-dimensional shapes. The overall research findings reveal that the use of manipulatives has a positive impact in the teaching and learning of area and perimeter. Learners’ responses to the interview questions showed that there was better understanding of the two concepts, which enabled them to construct their own knowledge. They further said the Geoboard allowed them to be hands-on, which contributed to their active involvement in the lesson.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The teaching practice component of initial teacher education: a social justice approach
- Authors: Long, Kelly Ann
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Educational change -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Education -- South Africa -- History , Education – South Africa -- Evaluation , Education -- Standards -- South Africa , Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa , Social justice and education , Education -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60200 , vital:27746
- Description: Research asserts that learner performance in South African schools is in a state of crisis. While many more learners’ post-1994 in South Africa have physical access to education, very few have epistemological access. The quality of the education learners receive is polarised along socio economic lines. This crisis has its roots in the legacy of colonialism and apartheid, and as such, there is a need to transform the education system to ensure equal opportunity for all learners, and ultimately economic growth and security for the country. One of the explanations offered for the crisis in learner performance is the poor teacher education system. However, there is a paucity of research in teacher education generally in South Africa, and specifically in relation to pre-service teachers. Furthermore, little attention has been given to how initial teacher education could contribute to the promotion of a social justice agenda with the intention of transforming the South African schooling system. This research seeks to understand how the expectations, scaffolding and assessment of preservice teachers’ teaching practices can be utilised to promote social justice during the Teaching Practice (TP) component of initial teacher education. In answering the research question, I analyse data and literature to identify a set of key valued functionings of quality praxis that preservice teachers ought to be provided the capability to realise, at the level of achieved functioning. This is a qualitative case study located in the interpretive paradigm. The case under study is: quality teaching practices of pre-service teachers. This case is bound by context (initial teacher education in South Africa) and setting (the pre-service teacher in the classroom). Two South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were selected through purposive sampling and their respective Teaching Practice (TP) documentation was analysed. Focus group interviews were conducted with five lecturers involved in TP at one of the HEIs. The theoretical framework of the study used to guide the analysis of the data was underpinned by a social justice perspective on quality education. Given that a social justice perspective does not have analytic tools, I view quality pre-service teachers’ teaching practices as praxis and utilise the capability approach as a mechanism for identification and description of valued functionings and capabilities that contribute to quality praxis. There are four significant findings in my research. Firstly, there is consistency with regards to the valued functionings and capabilities across the TP documentation of the two participating HEIs. In other words, the conceptions of a capable pre-service teacher are similar. Secondly, if social justice goals are to be realised, greater clarity of the valued functionings needs to be evident in the TP documentation. Thirdly, the valued functionings can be categorised into those that are foundational and those that promote a social justice agenda. Finally, in promoting a social justice agenda, there are functionings that ought to be valued by the HEIs that are seemingly not currently valued.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Long, Kelly Ann
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Educational change -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Education -- South Africa -- History , Education – South Africa -- Evaluation , Education -- Standards -- South Africa , Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa , Social justice and education , Education -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60200 , vital:27746
- Description: Research asserts that learner performance in South African schools is in a state of crisis. While many more learners’ post-1994 in South Africa have physical access to education, very few have epistemological access. The quality of the education learners receive is polarised along socio economic lines. This crisis has its roots in the legacy of colonialism and apartheid, and as such, there is a need to transform the education system to ensure equal opportunity for all learners, and ultimately economic growth and security for the country. One of the explanations offered for the crisis in learner performance is the poor teacher education system. However, there is a paucity of research in teacher education generally in South Africa, and specifically in relation to pre-service teachers. Furthermore, little attention has been given to how initial teacher education could contribute to the promotion of a social justice agenda with the intention of transforming the South African schooling system. This research seeks to understand how the expectations, scaffolding and assessment of preservice teachers’ teaching practices can be utilised to promote social justice during the Teaching Practice (TP) component of initial teacher education. In answering the research question, I analyse data and literature to identify a set of key valued functionings of quality praxis that preservice teachers ought to be provided the capability to realise, at the level of achieved functioning. This is a qualitative case study located in the interpretive paradigm. The case under study is: quality teaching practices of pre-service teachers. This case is bound by context (initial teacher education in South Africa) and setting (the pre-service teacher in the classroom). Two South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were selected through purposive sampling and their respective Teaching Practice (TP) documentation was analysed. Focus group interviews were conducted with five lecturers involved in TP at one of the HEIs. The theoretical framework of the study used to guide the analysis of the data was underpinned by a social justice perspective on quality education. Given that a social justice perspective does not have analytic tools, I view quality pre-service teachers’ teaching practices as praxis and utilise the capability approach as a mechanism for identification and description of valued functionings and capabilities that contribute to quality praxis. There are four significant findings in my research. Firstly, there is consistency with regards to the valued functionings and capabilities across the TP documentation of the two participating HEIs. In other words, the conceptions of a capable pre-service teacher are similar. Secondly, if social justice goals are to be realised, greater clarity of the valued functionings needs to be evident in the TP documentation. Thirdly, the valued functionings can be categorised into those that are foundational and those that promote a social justice agenda. Finally, in promoting a social justice agenda, there are functionings that ought to be valued by the HEIs that are seemingly not currently valued.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
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