An exploratory study of how learners communicate what they know during mathematics lesson

Abstract

South Africa teachers who are teaching Mathematics were faced with challenges of implementing a new curriculum (National Curriculum Statement). They are expected to be innovative and have the ability to make connections between Mathematics and language and also in other learning areas. The research explored learners' abilities to communicate what they know in Mathematics in written language. It was important that teachers gain Insight into what learners' know in Mathematics and how learners were able to communicate what they know. Knowledge and communication of knowledge (Mathematical expression) were important aspects in National Curriculum Statement - Mathematics in South Africa within the context of Outcomes- Based Education principles. This study aimed at investigating the following critical research questions: - What Mathematics do grade seven learners know in relation to concept of numbers? - To what extent were these learners' able to communicate what they know about numbers? - What were the implications for teaching given what learners' know about numbers? How teachers were able to communicate their knowledge of numbers? The design of the research study was focused on a class of grade 7 learners' abilities to write Mathematically and to communicate the Mathematics knowledge that they had done in their written form. Van Hiele's categories were used as a framework of informal task documented following learners participation that concerned numeric thinking, visualization and writing which report learners' descriptions of images that they were thinking as seen from their written - up responses. The qualitative analysis portrays how learners at early levels of learning were able to think and represent Mathematical ideas that they know in a way that others could access them. Findings of this research were important in two ways: (a) it demonstrate how learners think about basic Mathematical ideas of number and how they represent their thought about number concepts, (b) it also demonstrate that learners written work were documented to form useful resource for teachers and other learners in the teaching and learning of Mathematical and numeracy skills