Abstract
This article reports on the design and findings of the first iteration of a classroom-based design research project which endeavours to design a professional development intervention for teachers’ mathematical problem-solving pedagogy. The major outcome of this study is the generation of design principles that can be used by other researchers developing a professional development (PD) intervention for mathematical problem-solving pedagogy. This study contributes to the mathematical problem-solving pedagogy and PD body of knowledge by working with teachers in an under-researched environment (an informal settlement in Gauteng, South Africa). In this iteration, two experienced Grade 9 mathematics teachers and their learners at a public secondary school in Gauteng, South Africa, participated in a 6-month intervention. Findings from the data are discussed in light of their implications for the next cycle and other PD studies.
Highlights
Mathematics is an essential requirement for entry into South African universities and other tertiary institutions and is a ‘critical competency for the development of sorely-needed high-level skills’ (Centre for Development and Enterprise, 2014, p. 1)
After the release of the Annual National Assessments (ANA) 2013 results, a diagnostic report was generated by the DBE showing that some of the numerous challenges learners experienced in certain mathematics topics were as a result of ‘ineffective teaching methods’ (DBE, 2014, p. 7)
We engaged the process of design-based research (DBR) to tailor a professional development (PD) intervention that would be appropriate for teachers in a particular local context
Summary
Mathematics is an essential requirement for entry into South African universities and other tertiary institutions and is a ‘critical competency for the development of sorely-needed high-level skills’ (Centre for Development and Enterprise, 2014, p. 1). Adler and Ronda (2014) observe that South African teachers tend to implement traditional approaches in the classroom They start the learning day by revising the previous day’s homework, demonstrating the new work with an example, and giving the learners some exercises to do. Professional development is normally delivered in the form of workshops, college courses, seminars or conferences (Villegas-Reimers, 2003) but these approaches have been fiercely criticised for their ineffectiveness since they are not directly related to an individual teacher’s practice (Hawley & Valli, 1999) For this reason, we engaged the process of design-based research (DBR) to tailor a PD intervention that would be appropriate for teachers in a particular local context. What are the possible design principles required to generate a PD intervention on mathematical problemsolving pedagogy for Grade 9 teachers in a particular local context?
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