Abstract
The Department of Education in South Africa advocates collaborative and constructivist learning; however, observations indicate that little discussion occurs in most multilingual mathematics classes. In this paper we draw on a pilot study set in the Eastern Cape where teachers were introduced to the theory and practice of exploratory talk, and then tasked to perform an action research project on introducing discussion in their own multilingual mathematics classrooms. The results of the study suggest some successes in terms of teachers initiating exploratory talk and highlight the fact that these successes were only achieved where code switching between English and isiXhosa formed an integral part of the process.
Highlights
Botswana) reveal that the use of an unfamiliar language, such as English, often results in traditional and teacher-centred teaching methods, e.g. chorus teaching, repetition, memorization and recall (Alidou et al, 2006). Setati and Adler (2001) have shown that when teachers use English mainly for explanation, rote learning of procedures takes place and opportunities for developing meaningful learner-centred talk and writing are limited
The data generated by this research revealed similar results to those found in Mercer and Sams’ (2006) study in that teachers realised that if they provided guidance and practice in using language in order to express mathematical reasoning, learners could express themselves more effectively and that this aided them in solving mathematical problems
The data generated suggest that code switching has a positive influence on generating mathematical understandings and that developing exploratory talk is sometimes a slow process that requires guidance
Summary
Botswana) reveal that the use of an unfamiliar language, such as English, often results in traditional and teacher-centred teaching methods, e.g. chorus teaching, repetition, memorization and recall (Alidou et al, 2006). Setati and Adler (2001) have shown that when teachers use English mainly for explanation, rote learning of procedures takes place and opportunities for developing meaningful learner-centred talk and writing are limited. Setati and Adler (2001) have shown that when teachers use English mainly for explanation, rote learning of procedures takes place and opportunities for developing meaningful learner-centred talk and writing are limited. This situation has important implications as studies by Mercer and Sams (2006) and others (e.g., Monaghan, 2004; Rojas-Drummond & Fernandez, 2000; Wegerif, Littleton, Dawes, Mercer, & Rowe, 2004) have shown that discourse plays a profound role in the construction of knowledge and reasoning
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