Handboekouteurs en wiskunde-onderwysers se inlyninterpretasie van die wiskundekurrikulum vir effektiewe klaskamerpraktyk

Abstract

Due to the radical reform in mathematics education worldwide, the mathematics curriculum underwent dramatic changes in order to meet the new objectives in mathematics. This has placed a huge responsibility on curriculum compilers and the authors of mathematics textbooks and mathematics teachers to enhance the cognitive development of learners. This study takes the view that: What happens in the class is what you get. Based on the above statement, the foundation of mathematics teaching, namely the mathematics curriculum, the mathematics textbook and the teacher’s instruction in the teaching venue were scrutinised. During a diagnostic examination of teachers’ interpretation, knowledge and application of the mathematics curriculum and the content of mathematics textbooks on the East Rand, the following problems regarding mathematics teaching emerged: The most important finding of TIMMS is that the differences in performance in mathematics between different countries can be linked to the way teachers interpret and present the content of mathematics. Research has revealed that the interaction of teachers with curriculum content follow a dynamic and constructive application instead of direct application based on the mathematics curriculum. Teachers often change the prescriptions and order of content in the mathematics curriculum to suit their teaching style, knowledge and previous experience. Consequently, align application of mathematical concepts and skills does not take place and this creates a gap in learners’ cognitive development. It also leaves a gap in the application of the Type 5 cognitive development tasks in mathematics which enable a verifying deductive application of concepts. The action research created a structure which could meet this need. Authors of mathematics textbooks present their own vision, interpretation and style in mathematics textbooks, which influences the order of mathematics content and concepts. The result is that mathematics content and concepts are at times not aligned with representations in the mathematics curriculum and objectives are therefore not reached. The different interpretations of mathematics textbooks by teachers differ greatly and these differences place great pressure on teachers to decide how the mathematics textbook will be used in the teaching venue. In this study a mathematics textbook profile and a task analysis were formulated in the cause of action research which will enable teachers to make a professional analysis which they can use. Because a variety of mathematics textbooks are selected for use in schools, teachers assume that these approved mathematics textbooks focus on the curriculum. They therefore slavishly follow the mathematics textbooks without consulting the mathematics curriculum. Shortcomings in mathematics textbooks and teachers’ own interpretation of mathematics content leave a big gap in their own alignment of mathematics teaching. To satisfy this need, an assessment profile and an methodology for alignment are provided to enable teachers to monitor the curriculum alignment presentation of concepts and skills.

As gevolg van die radikale hervorming in wiskunde-onderrig wêreldwyd het die wiskundekurrikulum dramatiese veranderings ondergaan ten einde die nuwe doelstellings in wiskunde te bereik. Dit het enorme verantwoordelikheid geplaas op kurrikulumsamestellers en outeurs van wiskundehandboeke en wiskunde-onderwysers om die kognitiewe ontwikkeling van leerders te bevorder. In hierdie studie is van die volgende standpunt uitgegaan: What happens in the class is what you get. Derhalwe is die fondasie van wiskunde-onderrig, naamlik die wiskundekurrikulum, wiskundehandboek en die onderwyser se instruksies in die klaskamer ondersoek. In `n diagnostiese ontleding van onderwysers se interpretasie, kennis en toepassing van die wiskundekurrikulum en die wiskundehandboekinhoude aan die Oos-Rand het die volgende probleme in verband met wiskunde-onderrig na vore gekom: Die belangrikste bevinding van TIMMS is dat die verskille in wiskundeprestasie tussen lande verband hou met die wyse waarop onderwysers die wiskudekurrikuluminhoude interpreteer en aanbied. Navorsing toon dat die interaksie van onderwysers met kurrikulummateriaal op ʼn dinamiese en konstruktiewe toepassing geskied in plaas van direkte toepassing vanuit die wiskundekurrikulum. Onderwysers verander dikwels die wiskundekurrikulum se voorskrifte en volgorde van inhoude om by hulle onderrigstyl, kennis en vorige ervarings te pas. Die gevolg is dat geen inlyntoepassing van wiskundebegrippe en vaardighede plaasvind nie en dit laat ʼn leemte in leerders se kognitiewe ontwikkeling. Verder laat dit ʼn leemte in die toepassing van die 5-tipe kognitiewe ontwikkelingstake in wiskunde wat ʼn verifiërend deduktiewe toepassing van begrippe bewerkstellig. In die aksienavorsing is ʼn struktuur geskep wat in hierdie behoefte voorsien. Outeurs van wiskundehandboeke het ʼn eie visie, interpretasie en styl wat hulle in wiskundehandboeke aanbied. Dit het ʼn invloed op die volgorde van wiskunde-inhoude en begrippe en gevolglik is wiskunde-inhoude en -begrippe soms nie inlyn geplaas met voorstellings van die wiskundekurrikulum nie, en word doelstellings nie bereik nie. Onderwysers se verskillende interpretasies van wiskundehandboekinhoude verskil radikaal van mekaar en plaas gevolglik groot druk op onderwysers om ʼn keuse te maak wat betref die gebruik van ʼn wiskundehandboek vir gebruik in die klaskamer. In die studie is ʼn wiskundehandboekprofiel en ʼn taakontleding tydens aksienavorsing geformuleer wat onderwysers in staat sal stel om ʼn professionele ontleding te maak vir gebruik. As gevolg van die verskeidenheid wiskundehandboeke wat gekeur word vir gebruik in skole neem onderwysers aan dat hierdie gekeurde wiskundehandboeke op die kurrikulum gerig is. Gevolglik word wiskundehandboeke slaafs nagevolg sonder om die wiskundekurrikulum te raadpleeg. Tekortkominge in wiskundehandboeke en die eie interpretasie van wiskundeinhoude deur onderwysers laat ʼn groot leemte in hul eie inlynwiskunde-onderrig. Om te voorsien in hierdie behoefte is ʼn assesseringsprofiel en ʼn inlynmetodiek saamgestel om onderwysers in staat te stel om die inlynaanbieding van begrippe en vaardighede te monitor.