We re-examine a Malawian teacher's lessons which, using the framework of mathematic problem-solving developed by Polya, the typology of levels of task demand from Stein and colleagues and Malawi's description of learner-centred education (LCE), were described as teacher-centred and evaluated as 'not good'. We studied seven video-recorded circle…

This article discusses the findings of a case study that explored the use of explanatory talk in mathematics teacher education lessons on how to teach the concept of place value. The Mathematics Discourse in Instruction framework guided the study, in particular the element of naming in explanatory talk. Three teacher educators' lessons on the…

While a consensus within the field exists that pre-service teachers need adequate knowledge and skills to become effective teachers in mathematics, less is known about how they understand the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching in elementary education. This paper explores how Malawian pre-service teachers understand the mathematical…

Understanding the proof problem is necessary in the development of geometric proof in schools. This paper discusses findings from a qualitative case study which explored the mathematical work done by teachers in helping students to understand geometric proof problems. Data were generated from two teachers through video-recorded observations of 30…

The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review of research that has been carried out between 2006 and 2016 on the role of language in early grade (Grades 1-4) mathematics teaching and learning in three countries--Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. These countries were selected because they have similar characteristics: teaching and…

This study investigated and compared the pedagogical orientations of physical sciences teachers in Malawi and South Africa towards inquiry or direct methods of science teaching. Pedagogical orientation has been theorized as a component of pedagogical content knowledge. Orientations were characterized along a spectrum of two variants of inquiry and…

This paper reports on the relationship between the subject matter knowledge of two underqualified teachers and their topic-specific pedagogical content knowledge (TSPCK) as they taught genetics at two community secondary schools in Malawi. The study was qualitative and used the multiple case study approach. The sample was purposefully chosen. Data…

In this article I present a discussion of mathematics teacher educators' descriptions of their practice, in particular, how they see their role in promoting home languages as the language of learning and teaching in Malawi. I also explore how mathematics teacher educators prepare pre- service teachers to teach mathematics in home languages in…