Mathematics education studies have shown that part of learning mathematics is learning its
language. The language of mathematics is said to include specialised terms and ordinary
language terms that have contextual meanings in mathematics. Considering the fact that
learners in South Africa are performing poorly in mathematics in the international
comparative studies, e.g. TIMSS, there was a need to investigate how teachers facilitate
second language learners’ access to the meaning of mathematical terms in multilingual
classrooms in South Africa. This study investigated a teacher’s practices in the facilitation of
learner access to mathematical terminology in a Grade 11 multilingual class in a township
school in Vosloorus, South Africa. The study employed a qualitative approach in
investigating Discourse practices that the teacher used to define mathematical terms to second
language learners in a multilingual classroom. Direct classroom observations and a teacher
interview were the main data gathering methods. The main findings were that the teacher
used a combination of interactive practices that involved group work, telling, individual
student interactions and initiation, response and evaluation methods. Among definition
teaching strategies used were the textbook procedural definition and the textbook descriptive
definitions. The chalkboard and the textbook were the main artefacts of the Definition
Discourse. The study concludes that the Definition Discourse of the multilingual classroom is
a process that involves not only the definition of terms but also an integration of teaching
methods and interactive practices where definitions of mathematical terms can be taught even
through the eliciting of procedural methods of working out mathematical problems.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/11864 |
| Date | 31 August 2012 |
| Creators | Mukucha, Judith |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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