Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng

Background: Previous studies have shown the significance of visual objects in facilitating teaching and learning in the numeracy classrooms; however, what we do not know is how South African teachers negotiate the use of visual tools. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ understandin...

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Main Authors: Corle Smith, Madoda Cekiso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2020-12-01
Series:South African Journal of Childhood Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/887
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author Corle Smith
Madoda Cekiso
author_facet Corle Smith
Madoda Cekiso
author_sort Corle Smith
collection DOAJ
description Background: Previous studies have shown the significance of visual objects in facilitating teaching and learning in the numeracy classrooms; however, what we do not know is how South African teachers negotiate the use of visual tools. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ understanding and the use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms. Setting: This study was conducted in two rural primary schools in Tshwane District, Gauteng. Methods: The study was qualitative in nature and a case study design was followed. Five Foundation Phase teachers were purposively sampled from two primary schools. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to solicit information from the sampled teachers. The collected data were analysed thematically. Results: The findings revealed that the majority of teachers had a limited knowledge of visual numeracy tools, and as such their implementation was restricted to a few familiar ones. This manifested itself in the fact that the majority of teachers (three out of five) mentioned the general use of the visual tools without clearly relating them to their own classroom experiences. Finally, the findings of the study revealed that all the teachers were desperately in need of training on how to use visual tools in their numeracy classrooms. Conclusion: The authors concluded that the teachers’ limited knowledge about a variety of visual numeracy tools restricted their utilisation of such tools in their classrooms.
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spelling doaj.art-7e87b53ee51b4574aada916d2099bd442022-12-22T02:41:33ZengAOSISSouth African Journal of Childhood Education2223-76742223-76822020-12-01101e1e810.4102/sajce.v10i1.887416Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in GautengCorle Smith0Madoda Cekiso1Department of Applied Languages, Tshwane University of Technology, PretoriaDepartment of Applied Languages, Tshwane University of Technology, PretoriaBackground: Previous studies have shown the significance of visual objects in facilitating teaching and learning in the numeracy classrooms; however, what we do not know is how South African teachers negotiate the use of visual tools. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore teachers’ understanding and the use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms. Setting: This study was conducted in two rural primary schools in Tshwane District, Gauteng. Methods: The study was qualitative in nature and a case study design was followed. Five Foundation Phase teachers were purposively sampled from two primary schools. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to solicit information from the sampled teachers. The collected data were analysed thematically. Results: The findings revealed that the majority of teachers had a limited knowledge of visual numeracy tools, and as such their implementation was restricted to a few familiar ones. This manifested itself in the fact that the majority of teachers (three out of five) mentioned the general use of the visual tools without clearly relating them to their own classroom experiences. Finally, the findings of the study revealed that all the teachers were desperately in need of training on how to use visual tools in their numeracy classrooms. Conclusion: The authors concluded that the teachers’ limited knowledge about a variety of visual numeracy tools restricted their utilisation of such tools in their classrooms.https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/887visual numeracypedagogic knowledgeteaching aidsvisual toolsearly numeracy
spellingShingle Corle Smith
Madoda Cekiso
Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
South African Journal of Childhood Education
visual numeracy
pedagogic knowledge
teaching aids
visual tools
early numeracy
title Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
title_full Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
title_fullStr Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
title_full_unstemmed Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
title_short Teachers’ understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms: A case study of two primary schools in Gauteng
title_sort teachers understanding and use of visual tools in their numeracy classrooms a case study of two primary schools in gauteng
topic visual numeracy
pedagogic knowledge
teaching aids
visual tools
early numeracy
url https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/887
work_keys_str_mv AT corlesmith teachersunderstandinganduseofvisualtoolsintheirnumeracyclassroomsacasestudyoftwoprimaryschoolsingauteng
AT madodacekiso teachersunderstandinganduseofvisualtoolsintheirnumeracyclassroomsacasestudyoftwoprimaryschoolsingauteng