Appendix X List of prescribed CAPS Mathematics textbooks
9. Would you have understood the lesson if technology was not used?
M07:
Researcher:
M23:
Researcher:
M23:
Researcher:
M23:
M04:
Researcher:
M26:
I think ... I can use technology when teaching future lessons and it can be used in life. Let's take for instance, learners who are born in rural areas have no clue about the structure of the university and how lectures go about ...
now when you are using this technology ...including math's DOE that will
require them to use the Internet and they will have to use information on the
Internet, then those leaners will be at an advantage being able to cope with
the strategies used at University because lecturers put information online and
tell us to go and search this and that. So when using that technology you are
actually giving them a chance to research information on the Internet by
themselves.
Researcher
M26:
Researcher:
M26:
Researcher:
M13:
M26:
I found technology coming to my aid there ... it really supported me it helped me fill in the gaps that I had. You'll find at times you just read the instruction... you think you understand it when you don't actually understand it, but follow the prompts and you'll end up with the right answer ...ahhh! I got it right at last because with the English language being a second language and with mathematics having its own language as well- it doesn't become that easy. At times, no matter how experienced you are, because when you read you need to read with comprehension. You must read with comprehension but because of the ambiguity there, you'll find that you misinterpreting what is required of you by doing something else which is not required.
So you saying whether it was with technology or not it all comes down to whether you understand what they trying to ask you in the question. The language use ...
What I am saying technology filled in the gaps where I did not understand what was being said ... it helped me ...it supported me ... filled in the gaps.
So with the use of technology what is basically happening is that the language barrier is no more there.
Yes that is what happened.
Anyone else want to share your views with regards to question 9?
I would had understood the lesson if technology was not used but that is only because I haven't finished school so long ago ... so those ideas are still fresh in my mind and having come from teaching practice where I have taught these sections/that particular geometry theorem, it was fresh in my mind because I have taught these the children using technology as well ...I use Sketchpad to teach that theorem so I would have understood the lesson.
Although if it had not been there, it would have taken longer.
I am recalling something when we were required to prove the angle at the centre we are given three diagrams ... it was one diagram in different forms.
The use of technology helped me out more especially with the third diagram which appeared more complex ... and when I looked at it... it didn't look like a diagram that will be used to prove the angle at the centre theorem but technology did aid me to realise that though; dragging the same diagram can be transformed such that it appears in different forms and it actually talks to the ....there is something I came across in the AMES A documents which was set by Gestrol 2007 where he stated - when you teach children there are four things which I cannot recall them now but I know one of them is that when the child deals with relationships between... among concepts like in the diagrams realising the relationship between the different angles and sides and making conjectures. I will say that technology did help me a lot.
Researcher:
M23:
M26:
Researcher:
M26:
Researcher:
M07:
Anybody as any other thing you would like to comment about the technology used today or in general?
In a nutshell it all depends on you what you prefer and what you feel is conducive to your teaching because at the end of the day you can't choose as to how one needs to teach and how one must teach ... teaching is teaching and you always use a method or aid or material which you feel comfortable with so it's made available for those who like it.
When I looked at the teaching and learning style ... for me I looked at it as constructivism where the teacher allows the ... provides a task which is an experiment to be conducted ... being task based for me it's a very powerful learning style because you don't spoon-feed, if you tell your learners what to do or how to do - it now you producing copy cats instead of producing student that would have end up being logical thinkers, and realise that we must not expect them to be problem solvers but also problem posers at the end. This reminded me we must not provide out learners with routine tasks and think we are providing them with problems that they need to solve. If you are giving them routine tasks that you find in textbooks ...they won't be able to be logical thinkers which is very important so for me technology ... I have a positive attitude towards it and for me it adds to the mathematics that one already knows- and for me it's very important. We are in another era now where there is modern technology ...our children will end up adults they need to fit in the modern technology world and besides our children are so well versed with technology. Even at home, you buy a new gadget while you are still reading the instructions how to connect it ... you don't even understand what they did they just come and connect everything they switch it on within no time ... So for them it just happens automatically without their parent or teacher, teaching them ... technology is the in thing.
It's something natural to them?
Yes ... Its natural to them.
Anybody else has any comments ... closing comments?
I just wanted to comment about the workshop today - it was my first time attending a math's workshop. I found it very interesting, very fruitful, it also encourages me as a future teacher to be willing to attend more maths' s workshops because you pick up some teaching strategies that can be used ...to draw the attention of leaner. So it makes your mathematic lessons and concepts more interesting ... so learners are more willing to come ... get more active/practice when solving mathematical problems. So I gained a lot... so many strategies that I can use in teaching and the use of worksheets keeps the confidence ... you can ask learners to answer the question and use the DOE by learners to answer, therefore its very useful.