Partnering with Districts to Expand an After-School Maths Club Programme
- Authors: Stott, Deborah A , Baart, Noluntu , Graven, Mellony
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/482441 , vital:78652 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2018.1464690
- Description: A key intervention of the South African Numeracy Chair Project (SANCP) since 2011 has been the introduction of mathematics (or maths) clubs, which occur in the out-of-school time space. In 2016 the maths club concept was developed into a 15-week Pushing for Progression (PfP) teacher development programme which supports primary school mathematics teachers to run clubs beyond the SANCP local area. Expanding intervention models beyond local schools is imperative in the second phase of the SANCP (2016–2020). Working from a mixed methods methodological approach, the researchers collected pre- and post-data for a 4-operations assessment of the entire PfP programme. In this article they share learner data from one of the nine teachers who participated in the PfP maths club programme in the Uitenhague District, Eastern Cape, South Africa, to illuminate how partnerships between academics, district officials and teachers can enable powerful student learning in the club space. They argue further that within the tightly focused development programme run by teachers in this one district, it is possible for learners to make substantive progress in mathematical proficiency (MP) (especially procedural fluency and conceptual understanding) when comparing scores and learner methods between a pre- and post- assessment.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Examining the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club : a case study of four learners
- Authors: Pohamba, Penehafo K , Graven, Mellony , Stott, Deborah A , Ashipala, Daniel O
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/70121 , vital:29623 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/irhe.v2n1p21
- Description: This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. This study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. This study was interpretive in nature drawing on qualitative methods with some elements of quantification in relation to learners’ progression. The club consists of 10 learners of mixed ability (5 girls and 5 boys) at a township school in Graham’s town, South Africa. Learners in this case study were selected through purposive sampling. As part of the data collection strategies, the learners were interviewed twice in terms of their numeracy proficiency. The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. This study also recommended Wright et al.’s (2006) LFIN framework to be used in assessing learners’ progress in mathematics, as it could inform the refinement of instructional design within the school curriculum and teachers’ education in the Namibian context.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The Evolution of an Instrument for Researching Young Mathematical Dispositions
- Authors: Graven, Mellony , Hewana, Deliza , Stott, Deborah A
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/482508 , vital:78658 , https://doi.org/10.1080/10288457.2013.826968
- Description: In this paper, we share our experience of searching for ways in which to access learner dispositions and the evolution of an instrument that we have used as both a written and an interview instrument. We argue for the importance of understanding young learner mathematical learning dispositions in order to inform ways in which to support learning. As researchers, finding ways in which to access learner mathematical dispositions can be difficult, especially with young learners who struggle to articulate their stories. Mathematical learning dispositions are taken to include what learners say about learning and how they act when they learn. The focus of this paper is on gathering data in relation to the former. In order to illuminate what the instrument allows us to see we share some preliminary findings from our research. Our findings draw on evidence gathered, in interview form, from 16 learners in two grade 3 after school maths clubs and evidence gathered, in written form, from 614 grade 4 learners across 10 schools in the broader Grahamstown area. We interrogate the extent to which these articulated dispositions indicate constrained learning opportunities. The preliminary findings shared in this paper illuminate both what the instrument allows one to see as well as the limitations of the instrument.
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- Date Issued: 2013