Researching the Nature of Early Numeracy Progression in After-School Clubs

Abstract

The setting up of after-school primary mathematics clubs has been a key intervention project of the South African Numeracy Chair project, Rhodes University, in which I participated as both a researcher and club coordinator. The clubs provide spaces for learner engagement that are free from several contextual constraints that teachers face in their classrooms, including large crowded classrooms and district-stipulated curriculum pacing. This chapter presents the findings of longitudinal research on developing mathematical proficiency of 12 learners across two such clubs. The chapter will report on the findings and offer insight into how mathematical proficiency developed for learners across over time, with a focus on combining the Learning Framework in Number and the strands of mathematical proficiency.