Background: Research has indicated that young learners are capable of learning mathematics because they are born with an innate core of mathematics knowledge. Teachers of young learners are, therefore, expected to offer mathematical curriculum that exposes learners to a deep and explicit knowledge of high mathematics. Aim:The study aimed at Grade R in-service teachers' understanding of teaching mathematics in their classrooms. Setting:The study sampled five in-service Grade R teachers from four districts in Lesotho, while they were enrolled in an in-service programme at a college of Education.Methods: This is a qualitative approach, and a case study design was employed. Data sources included teachers' interviews, classroom observations and document analysis for instance, the teachers' files, lesson plans for Grade R curriculum for mathematics and course outline of mathematics offered to in-service teachers during their training in the Lesotho College of Education (LCE). Which focussed on four domains of knowledge, namely, common content knowledge, special content knowledge, knowledge of content and students, and knowledge of content and teaching. Results:The findings revealed that the in-service teachers in the LCE had insufficient understanding of the teaching of mathematics, which in turn had a negative influence on the teaching of mathematics in Grade R classes. Conclusion:Despite the Lesotho government's commitment to improving the learning of mathematics at the Grade R level. Teachers' difficulties raise concerns about the effectiveness of their teaching of mathematics.

Background: This research foregrounds inclusive education (IE) values by way of indigenous games. The outline of the South African national curriculum states that its main aim is to teach its children and youth to become members of a refinement that supports the values which are democratic, the human rights, and communal justice. However, the associated instructional methodologies that have long been a societal tool in instilling these values at an early stage of child development have been largely disregarded in achieving this goal. Indigenous games rely on specific values and traits from children's cultural heritage. Aim:The study aimed to find out how teachers experience the use of indigenous games in teaching mathematics in IE schools.Setting: Six IE schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.Methods: Semistructured interviews and teacher narratives, framed by the philosophy of ubuntu, were employed to generate data. These data were analysed in conventional qualitative methodology fashion. Results:The study showed that teachers believe that indigenous games encourage and endorse spontaneous interaction among learners as they communicate with their classmates and recognise the form of play from their community life. Conclusion:Teachers require specialised IE programmes as well as pedagogical formats to advance indigenous games.

This study investigated the effect of the Jigsaw and Team-Pair Solo cooperative learning strategies on interest in Basic Science of primary school children with visual impairment. This is a pretest-posttest control group with a follow-up design study. A total of 56 students in Enugu State of Nigeria were randomized into one of two groups, n = 27 (male: n = 18; female: n = 9) for the treatment group and n = 29 for the control group (male: n = 20; female: n = 9). A Learner's Interest Rating Scale was used as an outcome measure.The results showed that there was a significant difference in the interest of students with visual impairment exposed to intervention strategies and those exposed to conventional-lecture strategy in favor of those exposed to intervention strategies. This concluded that Jigsaw and Team Pair-Solo cooperative learning strategies are effective treatment strategies that enhance the interest of students with visual impairment in Basic Science.

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In the past, special education to serve this vulnerable group in public schools was completely neglected. Only well-resourced special schools were privileged to serve the minority in South Africa. The current education system prepares teachers who are generalists, with very little specialised training to teach visually impaired learners. Hence, this study presents a case study of six novice teachers employed without the proper qualification to teach visually impaired learners in the Foundation Phase. This study was premised on understanding that most Foundation Phase teachers have been teaching visually impaired learners without training. Qualitative method was adopted for data collection. This was done through the use of semi-structured interviews. Burden's theory on teacher development stages was used to analyse data. Findings reveal that novice teachers require immense support and guidance to teach visually impaired learners in the Foundation Phase. Otherwise, they are not providing the quality education envisaged in the Constitution of the Republic. The study therefore recommends amongst others that since government has responsibility to provide equitable and quality education to all people, irrespective of their physical condition, the quality of education provided for visually impaired learners in the Foundation Phase should be reconsidered. This is to ensure access with success, rather than participatory access.