Hidden Truths of Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Understanding in South Africa: The Importance of Mother Tongue Instruction in Primary Schools to Improve Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Fluency in the Intermediate Phase

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to uplift the standard of the mother tongue instruction and its importance to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in our primary schools in South Africa. It also aims at exposing hidden truths of failing to identify problems learners and teachers have that lead to teaching and learning, leaving learners without achieving any conceptual understanding and procedural fluency. Studies show that learners who learn in their mother tongue perform better in the classroom than their counterparts. English speakers learn almost all the subjects in English as their home language and they perform better, understand the instructions faster and respond immediately. This shows that mother tongue instruction fundamentally enhances conceptual understanding and procedural fluency as they are interdependent and must be developed simultaneously. (Kilpatrick, et al 2001).  Learning mathematics with understanding in one’s home language and use of manipulatives will eliminate barriers in learning and improvelearners’ proficiency in reading with understanding, counting and writing with less errors. This means that numeracy and literacy are improved, also the vocabulary of the learner increases. Mathematics is a language of its own with its terminology that requires attention. In my home language there might be challenges of standardized terminology which are lacking as this learning in the home language is also new, therefore borrowed words will be used to drive teaching and learning forward.  There are hidden errors that teachers ignore in the classroom even if baseline evaluation has been administered to learners with content gaps and barriers to learning, learners have. Makonye (2015) argues that learners’ errors in the classroom are treated as failures to be erased rather than data to be examined. Makonye (2015) argues about diagnostic gaps that need time and attention, that a lack of time means errors are rarely treated as teaching tools. Most learners in our schools lack the basic number sense development they should have attained in the foundation phase where mother tongue instruction commences. Makonye (2015) further argues that content knowledge vulnerabilities in teacher training have also an impact because some newly qualified teachers graduate with weak conceptual understanding of primary and secondary mathematics. I agree with Makonye (2015) because some teachers learned modules at university that have nothing to do with teaching and after graduation they register for PGCE and qualify to be teachers, hence the difficulties in the classroom are difficult to repair. The department of education bridges the gap through continuous professional development to help teachers perform better in the classroom for the benefit of the learners. Teaching in the LOLT in other subjects requires the teacher to code switch to bring home conceptual understanding. I have noticed that learners first think in their home language and translate their thoughts to the LOLT, this delays the lesson as some learners are ashamed of expressing themselves in the LOLT in fear of grammatical errors and sentence construction. Chitera (2010) supports this by saying that if learners are presented with a mathematical problem in the second language, they translate it to the MT (Mother Tongue) for understanding before solving it, hence using MT prevents incorrect and inaccurate translations and will ensure that problem solving process is not weakened.  This shows that language can hinder conceptual understanding and procedural fluency if it is foreign to learners, also cultural and technological issues. These issues hinder effective teaching and learning in the classroom. The theory of constructivism will drive the research project throughout (Social and Radical) where students learn to build their own concepts of what they learn through active cognitive and adaptive process (Vygotsky 1978).