PiE 2013 Volume 31 Issue 3

Big Ideas in primary mathematics: issues and directions

Askew, Mike (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

This article is located within the literature arguing for attention to Big Ideas in teaching and learning mathematics for understanding. The focus is on surveying the literature of Big Ideas and clarifying what might ...

Editorial: Primary mathematics: addressing the crisis

Venkat, Hamsa; Bowie, Lynn (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

Abstract not available

Teachers’ understanding of mathematical cognition in childhood: towards a shift in pedagogical content knowledge?

Henning, Elizabeth (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

This article about the discourse of pedagogy as related to child cognition in mathematics addresses the issue of what constitutes the main disciplinary content and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of foundation-phase ...

Raising the quality of primary level mathematics teaching and learning in schools in American Samoa: a model for South Africa

Muthukrishna, Nithi (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

Against the background of concerns around teaching and learning outcomes in primary school mathematics in South Africa, this article presents two studies conducted in American Samoa and seeks to draw implications for the ...

Opportunities to develop mathematical proficiency in Grade 6 mathematics classrooms in KwaZulu-Natal

Ally, Noor; Christiansen, Iben Maj (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

In this article, we propose a rubric for assessing the teacher’s provision of opportunities to develop mathematical proficiency in classrooms. The rubric is applied to data from 30 video recordings of mathematics lessons ...

Lizzy’s struggles with attaining fluency in multiplication tables

Bansilal, Sarah (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

Many learners struggle to make the transition from addition and subtraction to multiplication and division, which hampers further progress in mathematics. In this article, I present a case study of one learner who struggled ...

Research tensions with the use of timed numeracy fluency assessments as a research tool

Stott, Debbie; Graven, Mellony (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

In this paper, we describe how we came to use timed fluency activities, along with personal learner reflections on those activities, in our after-school maths club as a complementary research and developmental tool for ...

The relationship between teachers’ instructional practices and their learners’ level of geometrical thinking

Bleeker, Cheryl; Stols, Gerrit; Van Putten, Sonja (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

This case study describes and investigates the instructional practices of Grades 1 to 5 teachers and the levels of geometry thinking of the learners, according to the Van Hiele model, with a view to determining whether ...

Focusing on the object of learning and what is critical for learning: a case study of teachers’ inquiry into teaching and learning mathematics

Runesson, Ulla (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2013)

During the last decade, Lesson Study, a Japanese professional development model involving a community of learners, has been spreading to countries around the world. Lesson Study is a systematic process of inquiry into ...