Capacity building for curriculum differentiation in the teaching of foundation phase mathematics in Ngwaritsi Circuit, Limpopo Province

Abstract

This study aims at examining capacity building for Foundation Phase Mathematics teachers in curriculum differentiation in Limpopo Province. Proceeding within the framework of inclusive education, it takes as its point of departure two issues which are collectively critical for learner performance in Mathematics, namely, teacher capacity and differentiated instruction. The study revolves around the view that for improved learner achievement in Mathematics, particularly in lower grades, instructional practices aimed at supporting learners should be differentiated; and, that for this to be possible, teachers should be equipped with the capacity needed to carry out curriculum differentiation. This view emerges from the convergence of three problems which constitute the motivation for conducting this study. The first problem is poor learner achievement in Mathematics in South Africa, which is a subject dominating the public media and scientific discourse. The second problem is a documented general lack among teachers of appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for modification and adaptation of curriculum to the differentiated needs of learners. The last problem is the changing curriculum policy context in which teachers work as represented by the current national curriculum policy taking place against the backdrop of the broader South African education transformation agenda, geared towards inclusion. Underlying these problems is the recognition of curriculum as constituting one of the barriers to inclusive education.Based on an assumption that poor performance of learners in the Foundation Phase Mathematics is due to teachers’ inability to differentiate curriculum and their lack of the necessary capacity, this study adopts a qualitative research design and follows a qualitative approach to examine the problem. Data was collected by means of interviews, observations and document analysis. Twelve Mathematics teachers from three purposively selected schools and one curriculumadvisor from one circuit participated in the study. Data were analysed by means ofBraun and Clarke’s method of thematic analysis. The results present the challenges that Foundation Phase Mathematics teachers face, which include inability to respond to learner diversity and inadequate training in curriculum differentiation.