Technology-Based Pedagogy for Mathematics Education in South Africa: Sustainable Development of Mathematics Education Post COVID-19
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Teaching and Learning Mathematics Education
2.2. Technology-Based Pedagogy for Mathematics Education
2.3. Virtual Communities of Practice Theory
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. General Background
3.2. Participants
3.3. Pilot Study
3.4. Main Study
3.5. Interactive Online Workshops
3.6. Online Semi-Structured Interviews
- What are mathematics education students’ perceptions and experiences of using technology-based pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of using technology-based tools, devices, and pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of using the WhatsApp platform during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of using the online Zoom platform during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of using the Learning Management System (Moodle) during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of the virtual communities of practice created during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- What are your perceptions and experiences of studying remotely/online during the COVID-19 pandemic?
3.7. Data Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Strengths of Using Technology-Based Pedagogy
4.2. Challenges of Using Technology-Based Pedagogy
5. Discussion
5.1. Strengths of Using Technology-Based Pedagogy during the COVID-19 Pandemic
5.2. Challenges Experienced When Using Technology-Based Pedagogy during the COVID-19 Pandemic
6. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Participant | Pseudonym | Gender | Participant | Pseudonym | Gender |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Anand | Male | 9 | Ned | Male |
2 | Bongani | Male | 10 | Pretty | Female |
3 | Cameron | Male | 11 | Rakesh | Male |
4 | Glenda | Female | 12 | Sam | Male |
5 | Jane | Female | 13 | Susan | Female |
6 | Linda | Female | 14 | Thuli | Female |
7 | Lungi | Female | 15 | Tom | Male |
8 | Nancy | Female |
Question | Feedback |
---|---|
What are your perceptions and experiences of using the WhatsApp platform during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Anand: “…WhatsApp was convenient and easy to use…” Cameron: “…we used WhatsApp and created a group…we could share ideas and resources on WhatsApp…the whole class formed our own online community WhatsApp group…” Glenda: “… I first try the work on my own, and then I ask for help on WhatsApp if I need it or check if my attempt is correct…I take a picture of my work and send it to the group…it is easy and quick…” Lungi: “…I am used to using WhatsApp…it was easy to respond to questions…with WhatsApp, we get responses from others quickly…this help supported me…” Pretty: “…WhatsApp was quick, and I could send messages easily about my work …sometimes if I had family problems, I could also ask for help on the group…” Rakesh: “…WhatsApp was easier to use than the university Learn platform…I could get the lecture links for the Zoom lectures from my WhatsApp group…we could share the assignment questions on the group…I did not need to learn how to use WhatsApp since I normally use it with my friends and family…” Sam: “…we could share our teaching problems with each other… we could share teaching resources and examples for different math sections…the WhatsApp group was a very supportive group…” |
What are your perceptions and experiences of using technology-based tools, devices, and pedagogy during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Anand: “…it was the first time we saw the Hovercam…it was great to do the math problems step by step online…” Bongani: “…Hovercam made the math problem solving easy…it was like being in the class with the lecturer…even though we used videos and PowerPoints before so they were also interesting especially since we were working online from home…” Jane: “…the advanced technology tools we used in the lectures were great…learnt a lot about even using my cell phone to teach and learn…the lecturer showed us how to use the Hovercam, how to use teaching videos and how to make sure our PowerPoint presentations to benefit our learners… it was like being in the class and following all the steps…” Linda: “…I never used the Hovercam before…it was good to learn about the different devices like the sharing button on Zoom and the question banks on different websites…the lecturer even showed us how to use Moodle to set up tests and have the computer mark them for us…the Hovercam made math problem solving easy…we could easily follow the problem-solving process step by step…” Nancy: “I found this exciting…these new gadgets we were learning about…we could stop the lecturer at any time if we need more explanations…the Hovercam and online videos even allowed for us to go back and forth…” Sam: “…I never knew about this device, the Hovercam…it looks like something that will benefit my learners when I teach online…something good to know for future teaching…the explanations and step by step process was useful…” |
What are your perceptions and experiences of the virtual communities of practice created during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Bongani: “…the online class group helped me a lot…even when my family had COVID, I could talk to the class online…they supported me…they even told me about the COVID testing site near me…the drive-through place...” Ned: “…we worked well together as an online group…we supported each other with the math problems online…the lecturer was also part of this online group and assisted us immediately if we needed help or any further explanations or examples…we could also check up on each other at any time…” Rakesh: “…with the online group, we could use WhatsApp or Zoom since we also had an online discussion group on Zoom and Moodle…if someone was behind with their work, we could support them and encourage them…some people had a problem working from home, so we provided constant online support… …the online WhatsApp group also helped me understand and complete some math tasks….” Susan: “…the online group supported me throughout the semester…it was good to know that the class was with me every step of the way…” Thuli: “…I had good help from the online group. The help was not only about the academic work but also with personal family issues… I knew I could count on the group at any time…” Tom: “…some of us had the same challenges with the tasks…we could work together with the problem-solving steps online…we helped each other…” |
Question | Feedback |
---|---|
What are your perceptions and experiences of using the online Zoom platform during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Bongani: “…didn’t know anything about Zoom…first time experience…eish…I had to ask for help…had to learn about this…”Cameron: “…the workshops took too much data…Zoom is expensive…the resources were hard and took too long to download…very expensive too…takes a lot of data…” Jane: “…was challenging at first…I had to use trial and error with Zoom…had problems with my video …I think the university should teach us to use Zoom first…” Lungi: “…very expensive to buy a computer…didn’t think I would need this when I registered…I struggled also with the expense for data and Internet…” Ned: “…Zoom is new to me…I needed to learn everything about how to use Zoom…I think it was unfair for the university to ask us to use Zoom without providing any training to us students…just when I learnt how to use Zoom…the Zoom buttons for the system were changed…I had to learn this again…” Thuli: “…online lectures…expensive…lots of money…I didn’t know that I would be studying online when I registered in February…this was frustrating for my family and me…” Tom: “…the workshops were challenging to follow…my Internet was not stable…I had issues with connectivity…” |
What are your perceptions and experiences of studying remotely/online during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Anand: “…working from home is distracting… need…space to work…attend...Zoom lectures…my car…” Lungi: “…my small children are with me at home… it is difficult to attend Zoom lectures with them around me…I found it a problem to focus on my studies while at home…” Nancy: “…my family is big…live together…because of COVID-19 everyone is at home…my house is not big…I often attend lectures in my kitchen…it is embarrassing…I cannot put my video on because of where I am sitting for lectures… my parents don’t understand that I need to attend lectures …I also have other work at home …this was very stressful for me…I couldn’t balance my home life while studying online…my husband also fought about this…I could not cope…but lucky I had my friends from class who understood what I was going through, and they supported me…” Pretty: “…as a mother and wife, I have lots of other responsibilities…because of COVID-19…housework and cook…it was difficult to concentrate on my studies…I prefer studying campus…” Sam: …at my place, there is no privacy…I can’t participate in my lectures because everyone at home is listening or talking during the lecture… I found it hard to ask questions during the lectures. I used the WhatsApp group to ask my questions…the online group supported me during the semester…” Tom: “…I am angry with the university…I paid for face to face lectures because I can’t study on my own online…if I wanted to study online, I would have paid for online classes…I normally work in the university library because the network and connectivity where I live are not good …I don’t even have a laptop…I thought I would use the university computers at the campus for my assignments…it is expensive working online from home…I do not have the money for this…” |
What are your perceptions and experiences of using the Learning Management System (Moodle) during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Cameron: “…Moodle was a big problem for me…I came back to studying after a few years…I forgot my password…it took the university a long time to help me with my password problems… I started attending lectures late in the semester…I had a lot of work to catch up on…if it were not for the class’s online support, I would have been in big trouble completing my work…it was very stressful for me…” Glenda: “…Moodle gave me trouble from the start…I always took a long time to get onto Moodle…the university also had something called Global Protect, which I needed to be on before logging onto Moodle…this was difficult since the connectivity in my area was slow and unreliable…the university must use a more user-friendly system for us students…” Linda: “…I used Moodle a long time ago for my first degree…I know how to use it, but the university made changes, and we had to migrate to a new platform…this was difficult, and then we could not see our modules…I had to catch up because I started attending my lectures late…I even did not know when we had the lectures…lucky for me, we had the online group, which helped me a lot...” Lungi: “…sometimes because most of the class were having problems with Moodle, if I used the discussion group, it took a long time for others to respond…I then used WhatsApp to ask for help…Moodle is only good for submitting our assessments…it is not good for online discussions….” Thuli: “…Moodle was ok…I knew how to use it, but the class hardly looked at the questions on the discussion group, so I could not get help there…it was a challenge for me to use Moodle to discuss the math questions that I had problems with…” Rakesh: “…hard…took me time…found I was replying to old discussion questions…I felt like the Moodle discussion group wasted my time and effort…the university must relook at this system…it does not work for all of us…” |
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Naidoo, J. Technology-Based Pedagogy for Mathematics Education in South Africa: Sustainable Development of Mathematics Education Post COVID-19. Sustainability 2022, 14, 10735. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710735
Naidoo J. Technology-Based Pedagogy for Mathematics Education in South Africa: Sustainable Development of Mathematics Education Post COVID-19. Sustainability. 2022; 14(17):10735. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710735
Chicago/Turabian StyleNaidoo, Jayaluxmi. 2022. "Technology-Based Pedagogy for Mathematics Education in South Africa: Sustainable Development of Mathematics Education Post COVID-19" Sustainability 14, no. 17: 10735. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710735