In South Africa, the debate on the Language of Teaching and Learning of mathematics in Grade R has been underway. Amid the robust debate on the teaching of mathematics in home language, the students have no voice. This paper explored the language that Grade R students use to navigate mathematics space to achieve the policy’s envisaged outcomes. The theoretical premise for the study is based on Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism. The qualitative approach guided by the case study design of Grade R 8 students were employed in the study. It is anticipated that this paper provides valuable insights into the understanding of the Grade R students’ acquisition of mathematical language and contributes to the increased awareness in the field of Grade R mathematics teaching to achieve active learning. The findings revealed that (i) students failed to establish that the number of objects does change with the changed arrangement of the same number of objects and (ii) students were able to understand questions asked in their home language, yet their responses were in English.

Assessment is an integral part of the learning and teaching. Trends in International Mathematics and Science report reveals that in South Africa, grade 9 has the worst science skills. The objective of the study is to explore if teachers can promote science learning through science content and practical assessment. The descriptive survey design was utilized in the study. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s social constructivism. Thirty out of sixty-seven schools were selected using simple random sampling. Cronbach’s alpha test was used to ascertain the scale reliability of the questionnaire. The findings revealed the following: Data illustrates how educators assess Science Learning. Responses were agreed, neutral, disagree, and no response. Align with cognitive domains 86.7%; Principles of assessment 77%; Investigations 66.7%; Simulation 63.3%; Debates 50%; each among these: Assignment, Experiments, and Examinations 40%; Problem Solving 37%; Projects 34%; Presentation 23%; Roleplay 17%; Tests 13.3%; and Quiz 7%. Regarding Neutral, data validates that teachers need support as well as those who disagreed they lack content knowledge regarding strategies of assessment. We recommend teachers to value assessment and implement different strategies of assessment so that students can be able to apply both theory and the practical.