Abstract
Background: The study on which this article is based investigated the Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKfT) that a well experienced Grade 2 teacher utilized when teaching counting.Aim: In this paper we share excerpts from one of the lessons of this Grade 2 teacher, which we analyzed to illuminate the various domains of MKfT and their interconnectedness in the teaching of counting.Setting: The research was conducted in a former Model C school in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.Method: Using a case study methodology, 15 Grade 2 mathematics lessons were observed, video recorded and transcribed. Two formal interviews based on two selected video-recorded lessons were conducted to understand this teacher’s practice. The data were analysed using Deborah Ball and colleagues’ MKfT framework.Results: The study found that Foundation Phase mathematics teaching requires the knowledge and tactful employment of all six knowledge domains as described in the work of Ball and colleagues. The Knowledge of Content and Teaching (KCT) domain, was found to be essential in teaching counting in Grade 2. The other five domains supported and informed the KCT domain.Conclusion: We suggest from the insights gained here that research examining the MKfT that competent teachers draw on in teaching Foundation Phase mathematics could assist in developing curricula for in-service and pre-service teacher education programs.
Highlights
The study on which this article is based investigated the Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKfT) that a well experienced Grade 2 teacher utilized when teaching counting
Studies that attempt to explain why South African learners are not performing competently in mathematics propose that many mathematics teachers in South Africa lack both content and pedagogical knowledge to teach mathematics
The MKfT framework was used as an analytical tool to two counting-related activities
Summary
Poor performance in mathematics in South Africa is well documented and has been an area of concern for the past two decades (Bansilal, Brijlall & Mkhwananzi 2014; Fleisch 2008; Kazima, Pillay & Adler 2008; McAuliffe & Lubben 2013; Reddy 2006; Spaull 2013). This article is based on the first author’s Master of Education research study that sought to understand the Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKfT) as proposed by Ball et al (2008) employed by a competent teacher of Foundation Phase (FP) mathematics to develop number sense through counting activities. The latter two are identified as the ‘what to count’ principles As learners demonstrate their knowledge of counting, with regard to cardinality across a variety of tasks and situations, they may encounter a number of challenges that indicate they are still developing an understanding of the counting process. Reys et al (2007) propose that lack of understanding of place value contributes to the challenges learners encounter as they learn to count They argue that place value is a foundational concept for understanding the number system and for developing procedures for multi-digit operations and is basic for mathematics learning. The knowledge and skills the teacher used are analysed using the MKfT framework
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