Collaboration: A Collective Bargain for Achieving Quality Mathematics Classroom Practice

Iliya Joseph Bature,Bill Atweh

doi:10.12973/ijem.5.3.347

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">This paper sought to look at collaboration as an effective tool for mathematics classroom instruction. Four preservice teachers in a qualitative case study taught mathematics to three senior secondary school classes in two secondary schools in Northern Nigeria for a period of 15 weeks spread over three years. During this period 12 students volunteered to participate in four focus group discussions on the effectiveness of the pedagogy in their classrooms. Observations, research journals and focus groups were used to collect data for the study. A Narrative approach to data analysis was used to analyses the data collected. The findings of the study suggested that, the preservice teachers had initial challenges introducing the framework into their classrooms, they, however, gradually adopted the pedagogy into their classroom teaching. The study suggested that the preservice teachers used collaborative groupings and higher ordered questions to foster collaboration among their students. Some benefits of this strategy were also highlighted from the study. Prominent among them was the effective teacher-student and student-student relationship, help students see mathematics problems as common problems and reduced the domineering attitude of mathematics teachers who see themselves as possessing the monopoly of knowledge. Other findings observed in the study include the replacement of the teacher-centered approach to teaching with a student-centered approach. Therefore, it is suggested that, if collaboration is introduced into Nigerian mathematics classrooms, the traditional teacher-controlled mathematics classroom instruction that has bedeviled our classrooms will be reduced, and a new student-centered learning approach will be put in place.</p>

Highlights

The world today has identified the importance of collaboration in finding solutions to individual, societal and global problems
Data collected during this research suggest that the perceptions of the students on the use of collaboration as a tool for teaching mathematics was initially received with mixed feelings
Data collected from this study suggest that apart from the creation of collaborative groups in achieving effective collaboration into the mathematics classroom teaching of preservice teachers, the preservice teachers adopted a strategy of providing difficult mathematics question to foster effective collaboration among the students

Summary

Introduction

The world today has identified the importance of collaboration in finding solutions to individual, societal and global problems. Associations, pressure groups and civil societies are increasing daily with the aim of tackling common problems The composition of these collaborative groups and the tasks being tackled by the groups have been identified as important factors that determines the success of the groups’ objectives. Benefits achieved by members of such collaborative groups could be in the form of, economic benefits, technological development, political influences, health systems development, social and natural environmental progress. These factors have given the members of the collaborative groups the opportunity to access developed countries’ markets, enjoy steady growth, improved productivity and quality of living of its citizens (Collaborative Society, 2013; Hamdi, Ghorbel, Masmoudi & Dupont, 2018)

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