Although there is a lot of interest in the development of computational thinking (CT) and the benefits it could have for every student, integrating it into science classrooms may be more difficult than traditional teaching. This can be very challenging for South African science teachers. Thus, there is an increasing need to prepare teachers and…

The divide between theory and practice is an enduring challenge commonly attributed to disconnection in teacher knowledge between 'knowing what to do' (planning) and 'doing what you know' (enacting in class). We re-visited this divide from the new perspective of pedagogical content knowledge with the purpose of examining the ways in which…

Stoichiometry, which deals with the quantitative aspects of Chemistry, is a topic students find challenging and which teachers struggle to teach. South African students' performance in stoichiometry in the final matriculation examinations has led to calls for the topic to be taught better and highlighted the need for teacher professional…

Evidence from the literature supports the idea that a hierarchical and coherently organised curriculum fosters meaningful learning. We argue that the learning can only be realised if teaching complements the curricular coherence by allowing learners to make links during the teaching and learning process. The study reported in this paper explores…

This article presents balanced views of Mathematical Literacy (ML) and Mathematics (M), from both an analytical perspective and the subjective perspectives of teachers and learners. From the analytical perspective, policy documents and the literature spanning the period from the inception of ML to date are reviewed. Glimpses into the subjective…

The purpose of this study was to explore whether chemistry lesson sequences can indicate the level of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The sequencing of lessons for teaching chemical bonding is taken as the case for this study. The correct sequencing of concepts in teaching chemical bonding is key to learners' conceptual…

The education and professional development of pre-service mathematics teachers occur across different contexts. Key contexts of mathematics learning and learning to teach are school, university undergraduate mathematics and mathematics teaching-related learning in teacher education courses. International literature suggests that each of these…

This paper analyses student teachers' meta-narratives associated with 'doing' mathematics. The quality of the vocabulary associated with the doing of the mathematical objects of a sample of 56 multilingual third-year mathematics methodology students preparing to be secondary teachers was explored and assessed. Sfard's theoretical concept of…

Mathematical literacy (ML) is a compulsory subject in South Africa for those learners who choose not to do mathematics to Grade 12 level. ML is designed to enable a learner to become a self-managing person by providing opportunities to analyse and solve real-life problems through the mathematisation of contextual situations. The subject thus lends…

The South African curriculum emphasizes the teaching of problem solving in mathematics. However, little is known about South African teachers' views on the teaching of mathematical problem solving (MPS). The purpose of this study was to establish Grade 9 South African teachers' views, teaching strategies and the support required in their teaching…

What teachers teach, how they teach it and when they teach it should be guided by the curriculum. This paper focuses on teachers' reports about how they integrate the curriculum documentation in teaching mathematics and statistics concepts. Questionnaires containing both Likert scale and closed and open-ended questions were administered to 75…

This paper reports on the professional development of four mathematics teachers in South Africa. The four teachers all participated in a Mathematical Thinking course before taking an Advanced Certificate in Education in mathematics. The research, which aimed to understand these teachers' ongoing professional development, took place two years after…

This paper reports on an aspect of a larger research study conceptualised within a teacher development project in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province. The project was initiated with the objective to develop appropriate skills to use dynamic geometry software (DGS) effectively and strategically as a teaching and learning tool for mathematics. The study…

Professional learning communities as a form of teacher development have been in existence internationally for some time now and more recently in South Africa. Although strong claims have been made for their influence on teacher practices, very few research studies have investigated these claims. This paper presents a case study that connects…

This paper explores teachers' perceptions of their learners' proficiency in statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking. Research in Statistics education has prompted a move away from the teaching of statistical skills, towards focusing on the development of statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking. The recent South African Grade 10-12…