Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic globally transformed the face to face teaching and learning into digital online teaching and learning. The uptake and integration of digital technology in mathematics education have been gradual for many decades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the digital teaching and learning and made it an imperative and safe remote instruction and pedagogy of the day in mathematics education and education in general. We explored the uptake and use of virtual mathematics laboratory methodology for undergraduate Calculus teaching and learning as a remote instruction and pedagogy gap revealed during the COVID-19 infections prevention and containment period in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the study was to identify digital instructional and pedagogical gaps that existed in addressing students' mathematical misconceptions in Calculus learning in using the APOS theory and a virtual mathematics laboratory. Data was collected from 160 undergraduate students taking Calculus courses via APOS theory mediated digital mathematics laboratory for a semester. Results revealed that the undergraduate students who took the Calculus courses via the digital mathematics laboratory methodology performed better than those who used to take the same courses using didactical approaches. This COVID-19 crisis ushered in digital teaching and learning experiences that clearly spelt out the existence of digital instructional and pedagogical gaps in mathematics education.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected greater parts of the world transforming totally the ways of lives of every humankind across the globe
With this in mind we formulated the research question: How can different pedagogical strategies be implemented so as to cater for learning during the Covid-19 pandemic? We took this opportunity to implement the physical digitally well-resourced APOS theory mediated mathematics laboratory methodology to the teaching and learning of Calculus as virtual in response to COVID-19 prevention and containment compliance. This instructional and pedagogical experience revealed gaps in the digital teaching and learning which were concealed during the face to face classroom settings before the COVID-19 pandemic
In the main thrust of this study, we attempted to explore the digital instructional and pedagogical gaps in mathematics education during COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe using the case of an APOS theory based virtual mathematics laboratory methodology in higher education settings
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected greater parts of the world transforming totally the ways of lives of every humankind across the globe. Universal Journal of Educational Research 9(6): 1134-1147, 2021 gatherings and transport and regular personal hygiene such as hand washing and cough etiquette were introduced and enforced until indefinite time These measures affected the continuity of learning programs in the entire continuum of education. When the COVID-19 lockdown measures were eased, teaching and learning could not continue as face to face instruction and pedagogy With this in mind we formulated the research question: How can different pedagogical strategies be implemented so as to cater for learning during the Covid-19 pandemic? We took this opportunity to implement the physical digitally well-resourced APOS theory mediated mathematics laboratory methodology to the teaching and learning of Calculus as virtual in response to COVID-19 prevention and containment compliance This instructional and pedagogical experience revealed gaps in the digital teaching and learning which were concealed during the face to face classroom settings before the COVID-19 pandemic
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