From Theory to Practice: Challenges in Adopting Pedagogies of Mathematising in South Africa

A breadth of literature argues that mathematics is a human activity arising from the practices of mathematising real-world experiences. From this perspective, teaching needs to present situations that learners can make sense of and through which they can be guided to re-invent more formal mathematics. Based on principles and resources arising from Realistic Mathematics Education and Cognitively Guided Instruction, a series of intervention lessons were developed as the starting point for the emergence of learners’ models and strategies. In this chapter, we discuss findings from data collected in a South African Grade 2 isiZulu-medium classroom and a Grade 4 English-medium classroom in relation to how learners in these classes engaged with additive relation word problems. Our experiences identify tacit assumptions that underpin mathematising approaches and raise issues about the use of similar approaches in the context of South Africa. We conclude that while there is potential for working in this way in developing nations, some of the expectations taken for granted in the countries where these pedagogies were first developed need to be made more explicit for adaptations elsewhere.