1,720,974 research outputs found
INVESTIGATING PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TEACHING CALCULATION STRATEGIES OF THE NATIONAL NUMERACY CURRICULUM IN MALAWI
No full textIn Malawi, the current performance of students in early-grade mathematics is low due to lack of focus on developing number concepts, as well as the reliance on rote learning in the existing OBE curriculum. To address these issues, a new curriculum has been introduced in 204 pilot schools, aiming to revise the mathematics curriculum for lower primary grades (Standards 1- 4). The revised curriculum focuses on teaching various calculation strategies within the core elements of numbers, operations, and relationships, with the goal of equipping students with a wider range of problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. This study investigated how mathematics teachers teach calculation strategies in the new National Numeracy Curriculum. The research aimed to identify the calculation strategies taught, how teachers teach them, and their views on teaching of calculation strategies The following questions guided the study: 1) What calculation strategies do mathematics teachers teach in the NNP curriculum? 2) How do mathematics teachers teach calculation strategies in the NNP curriculum? 3) How do mathematics teachers view the teaching of calculation strategies in the NNP curriculum? The study used a mixed methods approach, employing the Mathematical Discourse of Instruction (MDI) analytical framework (Adler & Ronda, 2015) for data analysis. The findings indicated that mathematics teachers teach a diverse set of calculation strategies, including building up and breaking down, number lines, physical modeling, counting on and counting down, addition bubbles, estimation, number pyramid, doubling and halving, commutativity, completing 10s, rounding, and compensation. Teachers illustrated these strategies using examples and tasks, either selecting one question from workbooks as an example or formulating their own examples that involve multiple calculation strategies. The remaining tasks assigned to learners came from the workbooks. Teachers used various teaching aids such as workbooks, charts, tables, chalkboards, and physical models to demonstrate and explain the calculation strategies. They encouraged learner participation through whole-class discussions, group work, pair work, and individual work. Teachers emphasized the importance of naming, explaining, and justifying the chosen strategies and highlighted the contextual differences in applying calculation strategies to solve different types of questions. However, teachers perceived the allocated time for mathematics lessons as not enough and suggested either doubling the time or reducing the workload per page to facilitate more effective teaching and learning
Students’ Reasons for Preferences of Contexts in Learning Mathematics
Get PDFThis paper reports on findings from a study that investigated reasons Malawian students have for preferring particular contexts in mathematics. The study explored students’ preferences of contexts using a survey questionnaire that contained 27 contexts and asked students to indicate their level of interest for each context on a 4-point scale and to write down reasons for their most preferred contexts. There were 393 students of 14-20 years old. Findings include that most preferred contexts were of future career prospects, modern technology, health and community issues. Students’ reasons for these preferences were in four categories of career prospects, curiosity, community well-being and personal well-being. Furthermore, future career prospects was the most common reason for the preferred contexts
EXPLORING TEACHERS’ IMPLEMENTATION OF MENTAL MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MALAWI.
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to explore the teaching of mental mathematics in Malawi's lower
primary schools. The Malawi government has included mental mathematics in the National
Numeracy Program (NNP) curriculum for lower primary school learners. The aim is to provide
learners with mental mathematical knowledge and skills that would provide a solid foundation for
future mathematics study in primary schools. However, while the introduction of mental
mathematics in lower primary schools appears to be a solution to improve learners’ performance in
mathematics performance, more research is needed to determine how primary teachers teach mental
mathematics. The purpose of this study was to explore how mathematics teachers plan, teach and
view mental mathematics in Malawi primary schools. The sample was drawn from NNP pilot
primary schools, particularly in lower primary schools (standards 1–4), where mental mathematics
is introduced in the NNP curriculum. The study used the Mathematical Discourse in Instruction
(MDI) framework and was directed by the key research question "How do teachers in primary
schools piloting the NNP curriculum view mathematics?" This main research question was
supported by the following three subquestions: (1). How do teachers plan mental mathematics?, (2).
How do teachers teach mental mathematics?, and (3). what are the teachers' views on mental
mathematics?
The study included twelve teachers from three primary schools in Malawi's rural Eastern region.
The study is qualitative research that used interviews with teachers, lesson observations, and
document analysis (lesson plans) to collect data.
The study findings show that including mental mathematics in the curriculum in lower primary
schools is beneficial since it enhances learners' mathematics performance. It was established that
teachers rely on teachers' guides and learners' workbooks for guidance on how to select the tasks
and teach mental mathematics and that they have the autonomy to select and prepare their mental
mathematics problems depending on the day's work. Based on the findings, the study indicates that
mental mathematics may be a positive development because it helps learners build critical thinking
abilities and number sense
An examination of mathematical affordances available in grade 2 teachers' guide and learners' textbook on addition of whole numbers
No full textInternational audienceThis paper present findings from a textbook analysis which examined the structure and patterns of variation of addition examples presented in a grade 2 mathematics teachers' guide (TG) and learners' textbook (LT). Classification scheme for addition problems was used to analyse the structure of the examples, and Mathematics Discourse in Instruction framework for Textbooks was used to analyse their patterns of variation. The findings revealed that the example sets in the TG and LT afford development of additive reasoning as they contain different patterns of variation that might lead to higher levels of generality if teachers focus learners' attention to these. The examples however constrain development of additive reasoning as they comprise of only one structure with both addends given and require calculating the result. To decide a better professional development for teachers, it is necessary to study how teachers use these resources to plan and deliver mathematics lessons
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Would female student teachers at primary teacher education colleges study mathematics were it optional?
Get PDFIn this this article we discuss findings from an investigation of whether female student teachers would choose to study mathematics if it were optional for primary teacher education in Malawi. A mixed methods research methodology was used to collect data through survey and focus group discussions (FGDs). Five hundred and twenty three female students from 6 public teacher education colleges completed a questionnaire, and 160 of them participated in FGDs. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on the quantitative data while a thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative data. The findings show that 68% of female students would choose to study mathematics while 32% would not. This correlated with the students’ mathematics scores at the end of their secondary school national examination. Those students with high score passes opted for mathematics and those with low score passes did not, suggesting that performance at secondary school influenced their confidence in studying mathematics. Female student teachers’ reasons for choosing or not choosing mathematics were it optional are classified into 5 categories: the perceived usefulness of mathematics, inner motivation to study mathematics, the nature of the college mathematics content, how mathematics courses are taught at colleges, and gender stereotype in mathematics lessons. We discuss these in relation to the Malawian government’s agenda of increasing participation of females in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering
An examination of mathematical affordances available in grade 2 teachers' guide and learners' textbook on addition of whole numbers
No full textInternational audienceThis paper present findings from a textbook analysis which examined the structure and patterns of variation of addition examples presented in a grade 2 mathematics teachers' guide (TG) and learners' textbook (LT). Classification scheme for addition problems was used to analyse the structure of the examples, and Mathematics Discourse in Instruction framework for Textbooks was used to analyse their patterns of variation. The findings revealed that the example sets in the TG and LT afford development of additive reasoning as they contain different patterns of variation that might lead to higher levels of generality if teachers focus learners' attention to these. The examples however constrain development of additive reasoning as they comprise of only one structure with both addends given and require calculating the result. To decide a better professional development for teachers, it is necessary to study how teachers use these resources to plan and deliver mathematics lessons
Introduction:An ICMI Study On Language Diversity In Mathematics Education
No full textThis chapter provides the introduction to this ICMI Study 21 volume. It includes: a discussion of the place of this study and its topic within ICME; a discussion of what is meant by the study title; and a brief historical account of research on this topic in mathematics education. The chapter also recounts the various stages of the study, including the development of the discussion document, the study conference, and the preparation of this volume. The latter parts of the chapter include syntheses of some key research ideas emerging from the volume, implications for policy and practice and issues for further research
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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