Caroline Long & Tim Dunne - Approaches to teaching primary level mathematics

Abstract

In this article we explore approaches to curriculum in the primary school in order to map and
manage the omissions implicit in the current unfolding of the Curriculum and Assessment
Policy Statement for mathematics. The focus of school-based research has been on curriculum
coverage and cognitive depth. To address the challenges of teaching mathematics from the
perspective of the learner, we ask whether the learners engage with the subject in such a way
that they build foundations for more advanced mathematics. We firstly discuss three
approaches that inform the teaching of mathematics in the primary school and which may be
taken singly or in conjunction into organising the curriculum: the topics approach, the process
approach, and the conceptual fields approach. Each of the approaches is described and
evaluated by presenting both their advantages and disadvantages. We then expand on the
conceptual fields approach by means of an illustrative example. The planning of an
instructional design integrates both a topics and a process approach into a conceptual fields
approach. To address conceptual depth within this approach, we draw on five dimensions
required for understanding a mathematical concept. In conclusion, we reflect on an approach
to curriculum development that draws on the integrated theory of conceptual fields to support
teachers and learners in the quest for improved teaching and learning.

Keywords: curriculum design, teaching mathematics, conceptual fields, teaching approaches,

dimensions of understanding, exceptional teachers, assessment.

Fonte: http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/sajce/v4n2/09.pdf