Questioning techniques used by Foundation Phase Education students teaching mathematical problem-solving

Abstract

The research question that guided this research study was the following: which questioning techniques do Foundation Phase Education students use when teaching mathematical problem-solving lessons? Background: Developing the questioning skills of Foundation Phase Education students when teaching mathematical problem-solving is often a neglected area of student curricula.Aim: This gap in mathematics programme is the focus of this study. Three main components were identified: presentation of mathematical problem-solving, the role of the Foundation Phase Education student in shared action and the questioning practice of the pre-service teacher.Setting: This study is embedded in an amalgamated theoretical framework of three theories: relational theory, hermeneutical theory of Davis and the revised taxonomy of Bloom. This qualitative, interpretive study was conducted in a grade 1 class. Seven Foundation Phase pre-service students were purposively selected to participate in the study.Methods: Triangulation of a multitude of research instruments ensured verification of data. The case study consisted mainly of the observation and analysis of six lessons. The framework of Tesch was used to interpret the data.Results: An outcome of the case study is a concise description of the use of questioning when teaching mathematical problem solving. Students in the selected sample generally struggled to ask questions and expressed the need for skills training. Conclusion:The student participants seemed unsure of how to use questioning skills optimally to elicit useful responses from their learners. Recommendations are made for enabling Foundation Phase students to learn the necessary skills to ask questions effectively in the problem solving segment of the curriculum.

Foundation phase pre-service teachers’ experiences of teaching life skills during teaching practice

“…Over the years, research has been conducted locally and internationally on different aspects of in-service FP teachers' experiences (Bruce 2011;Cekiso, Meyiwa & Mashige 2019;Kanjee & Mthembu 2015;Masnan, Sharif & Josin 2018;Meiring 2019;Sheldon 2015), on FP pre-service teachers' experiences during their teaching practice (Matzembacher, Gonzales & Do Nascimento 2019;Steyn & Adendorff 2020;Zinn et al 2014) and on the LS module in the FP at higher education Background: In South Africa socio-economic problems such as poor health conditions, juvenile delinquency, high rates of school dropout and teenage pregnancy are increasing. Therefore, it is vital to prepare foundation phase (FP) pre-service teachers to fortify children with basic life skills (LS) that will help them to cope with real-world challenges and demands.…”

Online Learning Interaction of Mathematics Teacher in Junior High School: A Survey in the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Students still do not feel brave to ask questions or respond to questions from teachers or friends. Thus, the ability to ask questions in mathematical learning still needs to be a concern to be developed better (Bosch et al, 2018;Franke et al, 2009;Hendriana, 2017;Hendriana, Hidayat, & Ristiana, 2018;Hendriana, Rohaeti, & Hidayat, 2017;Lim et al, 2020;McCarthy et al, 2016;Steyn & Adendorff, 2020;Way, 2008).…”

Increasing Senior High School Students’ Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability and Mathematical Disposition Through Problem-Based Learning Assisted by Simple Mathematics Kit

“…His research found that learning in a synchronous online, face-to-face collaborative group study enables students to overcome problem-solving steps more systematically with the help of multiple ideas within group members. Steyn & Adendorff (2020), through their research stated that effective questioning practice for teaching mathematical problemsolving must be explicitly taught to foundation phase education students as part of the curriculum. All…”