Mathematics Teaching And Professional Learning In Sub Sahara Africa

The book represents a crop of wide-ranging research conducted by renown scholars in sub-Sahara Africa revolving around mathematics teaching and professional development programs for mathematics teachers. The research-based proposals and actual how-to-conduct professional development initiatives that enhance effective mathematics instruction are rooted in teacher input and informed by learners’ errors and misconceptions. The book provides a comprehensive snapshot on mathematics teaching, learning and effective professional development programmes for mathematics teachers in sub-Sahara Africa. It is the only research output that advances and disseminates issues of mathematics education and research in the region with input from South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

*THIS BOOK WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE AS OPEN ACCESS BOOK* This book is a valuable resource for policymakers and practitioners as it brings insights mainly from developing countries where relatively less research activity takes place. It is also a valuable resource for courses in mathematics education in the teacher education colleges, and departments of education in the sub-Saharan Africa region. In the increasingly global and technological world mathematics is seen as a significant gatekeeper of opportunities for social and economic advancement and mobility. Hence, countries and development agencies in the broader sub-Saharan Africa region are looking towards increasing access to relevant and high-quality secondary education as a lever towards economic development. Policy makers and other key decision makers in education look towards improvement in mathematics teaching and learning as a key focus in education reform. In the East Africa region also a number of initiatives have been taken at the national level in the respective countries to improve the quality of mathematics education. This book provides an in-depth comparative analysis of the developments and issues in mathematics education in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, and advances our understanding of the state of secondary mathematics education in East Africa.

Much attention in late-developing countries is given to providing access to studies which allow school leavers to enter science and technology-related careers. This book reviews research related to the crucial dimension of epistemological access to the disciplines of import, which students need as much as institutional access in order to improve their chances of success. A significant feature of this collection's research studies is that their empirical bases are highly localised, covering areas such as research methods, access, curriculum, instruction and assessment, and the relevance of science and mathematics education in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Ghana and Lesotho. It is the outcome of a doctoral research capacity-development project, the Graduate Studies in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (GRASSMATE).

Developing Science, Mathematics and ICT (SMICT) in Secondary Education is based on country studies from ten Sub-Saharan African countries: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and a literature review. It reveals a number of huge challenges in SMICT education in sub-Saharan Africa: poorly-resourced schools; large classes; a curriculum hardly relevant to the daily lives of students; a lack of qualified teachers; and inadequate teacher education programs. Through examining country case studies, this paper discusses the lessons for improvement of SMICT in secondary education in Africa.

Continuing Professional Teacher Development in Sub-Saharan Africa explores the prospects that the on-going continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers working in schools offers for meaningful change, particularly towards improving the quality of educational provision for the majority of the continent's children. By reflecting on teacher professional development efforts and their place in broader education reforms, the book highlights the challenges of teacher CPD in these education contexts - contexts strongly shaped by endemic poverty, under-development and social upheaval. The collection draws together examples of innovation and resilience, and the valuing of teachers as critical role players, enabled and empowered through their on-going development as education professionals. Drawing together a wealth of experience, the volume identifies the policy and research implications for the future of CPD across the continent, providing important lessons that can be integrated into a post-2015 development agenda for Africa.

Mathematics education will never truly improve until it adequately addresses those students whom the system has most failed. The 2018 volume of Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education (APME) series showcases the efforts of classroom teachers, school counselors and administrators, teacher educators, and education researchers to ensure mathematics teaching and learning is a humane, positive, and powerful experience for students who are Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx. The book's chapters are grouped into three sections: Attending to Students' Identities through Learning, Professional Development That Embraces Community, and Principles for Teaching and Teacher Identity. To turn our schools into places where children who are Indigenous, Black, and Latinx can thrive, we need to rehumanize our teaching practices. The chapters in this volume describe a variety of initiatives that work to place these often marginalized students--and their identities, backgrounds, challenges, and aspirations--at the center of mathematics teaching and learning. We meet teachers who listen to and learn from their students as they work together to reverse those dehumanizing practices found in traditional mathematics education. With these examples as inspiration, this volume opens a conversation on what mathematics educators can do to enable Latinx, Black, and Indigenous students to build on their strengths and fulfill their promise.

Mathematics teaching and professional development of mathematics teachers are areas where research has increased substantially in recent years. In this dynamic field, mathematics teaching practices, pedagogical knowledge of mathematics teachers and professional development via collaboration between mathematics teachers have emerged as vital domains of inquiry. Professional Development and Knowledge of Mathematics Teachers addresses the underlying characteristics of mathematics teacher education, and those professional development contexts that have a positive impact on teachers’ professional learning. Recognizing the impact of broader institutional settings on mathematics teaching and teacher professional development, the editors suggest bridging the gaps between theoretical practices and methodological approaches in the field by focusing on and conceptualizing the following relational factors: The study of mathematics teaching and classroom situations Researching teacher and teacher educator knowledge, since these issues inform the quality of mathematics teaching directly Mathematics teacher education and professional development, focusing on design principles and the impact they have on teacher professional learning Combining central issues of mathematics teaching, knowledge and professional development, the chapters in this volume address each of the above factors and provide profound considerations on both theoretical and practical levels. This book will be an essential resource for researchers, teachers and students working in the fields of mathematics teaching and mathematics teacher professional development.

Mathematics teacher education includes the mathematics content teachers need to understand, ways that pedagogical approaches are developed, messages about the nature of mathematics teaching and learning, and interfaces between tertiary preparation and school contexts. Scholars from Sweden, France, Malawi, Singapore, New Zealand, Brazil, the USA, and Canada provide insights for the mathematics education community’s understanding of how teacher educators structure, develop, and implement their respective mathematics teacher education programs. Several themes emerged across the chapters, including: varied approaches to developing culturally responsive pedagogies and/or Indigenous perspectives; issues and challenges in fostering partnerships and collaborations; strategies for developing mathematics knowledge for teaching; and preparing flexible and resourceful teachers. Praise for International Perspectives on Mathematics Teacher Education: "International Perspectives on Mathematics Teacher Education explores different facets of mathematics teacher education in eight countries across five continents. The authors and editors answer important questions and open the door to critical conversations about policies and practices related to mathematics teacher recruitment, preparation, and professional development, among other topics. Every reader will develop new perspectives as they learn how one institution is engaging with Indigenous perspectives while other countries struggle with an insufficient supply of certified teachers. This book clearly demonstrates challenges, constraints, nuances and complexities to initiating and maintaining improvement across systems to enhance the work and spaces of mathematics teachers within different historical, cultural, social, and political contexts. This volume also generates ideas and opportunities for leaders, policymakers, and teacher educators to consider and learn from international colleagues about different approaches to mathematics teacher education practice and policy. Undoubtedly, debates about standards, content and experiences in programs, and accountability structures such as accreditation will continue. It is clear from the insights in this volume that strengthening mathematics teacher education will require stronger collaborations, frameworks, policies, infrastructure, and investments on a global scale and it will be critical to collaborate with and learn from colleagues in international settings. These conversations will require reciprocity, interdependence, and resilience as we pursue the ultimate goal of equipping the field of mathematics teacher education." Kathryn Chval Dean, College of Education Professor of Mathematics Education University of Illinois Chicago