Perceptions and beliefs in grade one mathematics: the teachers' perspective
Date
2014-03-28
Authors
Temba, Nontobeko
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Abstract
Mathematics Education in South Africa is in a state of crisis. Due to the legacy of Apartheid,
Mathematics in black schools is in a comparatively poor condition. A number of factors contribute
to this crisif /amongst them, it is alleged that there aren't enough competent Mathematics teachers.
In attempting to understand the extent of the crisis it is acknowledged we cannot focus an one area,
but we need to have a collective understanding of the situation at all levels. It is with that background
that I have written this project
The purpose of this project is to look at the beliefs and perceptions of Grade One teachers in
Mathematics. What attracted me to Grade One teachers was the important role that they play in
creating impressions about Mathematics in & child and the low esteem they hold in our society. In
this paper I am looking at Grade One teachers as an important initial link in the chain of improving
Mathematics. This project attempts to analyze and understand their situation, bearing in mind that
we have no formal data on teachers before they are exposed to NGO in-service programmes. Most of
these programmes operate with unanalyzed preconceptions about the teacher and her craft.
Facilitators could extract issues that would be of assistance in their intervention with teachers.
In my data collection 1 observed four teachers in their classrooms and then interviewed them about
their everyday Internal and external activities. In the findings it was confirmed that Mathematics is
also in a crisis state at the elementary school level. The findings reveal that the teachers, even though
exposed to similar conditions in background and teaching, are different and they do things
[differently. What I found to be common was that their Mathematical content knowledge was
lacking and that their perceptions about what Mathematics is, constrained their teaching of the
subject.
While working with the schools I was overwhelmed by the scope of research the data provided. One
of the issues that was fascinating was the issue of changes of roles in the pupils; the role of pupils
changed in the minds of teachers according to time, and place. They were regarded as both competent
and incompetent. There were also issues of terminology which were important. What I found striking
in the classrooms was the way issues are so intertwined, one cannot avoid stumbling into issues that
onehad never anticipated. I found that the real challenge in this endeavour was to remain focused but
still acknowledging some of these factors.
In working with these teachers I realised that they have been exposed to the language of innovation
that most teachers are using, but those ideas remain at a superficial level, and are not successfully
integrated into their practice, Having discovered that, I make an appeal to facilitators not to provide
teachers with terms that have little or no meaning to them. They shouL not simply replace one form
of indoctrination with another, and should make a long-term commitment to working for change with
individual teachers. Finally, they should personalize their interventions to suit the needs of
individual teachers.