Instructional practice plays a significant role in revealing how well teachers understand the subjects they teach. Many studies have been conducted in South Africa on the relationship between teachers' knowledge of well-established subjects like Science and Mathematics and how well teachers apply their knowledge in the classroom. However,…

Teachers cannot escape being learners if they are to be proficient practitioners. This study interrogates the effects of a professional development programme on mathematics teachers' pedagogical practices in South African primary schools. Using critical theory as the illuminating lens, this qualitative study, which is cast within the participatory…

This article explores student teachers' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to thrive in online teaching practice. Amid the pandemic's unprecedented challenges, student teachers exhibited remarkable adaptability in navigating the shift to remote teaching. Through qualitative research and thematic analysis, this article delves…

Background: Despite large-scale interventions aimed at developing literacy skills, children's reading competence levels in South Africa continue to remain an area of concern. In addition, the need to prepare learners for the increased demands of a fast-changing world of learning and working is gaining attention in educational policy and practice.…

The study aimed to determine if there is a significant difference between peer and lecturer assessment scores and to explore the relationship between peer assessment scores and the study year of preservice teachers. Furthermore, the study explored the effect of Blackboard Collaborate online group presentations on the development of pedagogical…

This study aims to investigate the perspectives of primary school teachers in South Africa, who participated in a "Lesson Study" (LS) project, on this professional development process and about their professional learning. The study followed a mixed approach, with data collected through a questionnaire, followed up by interviews. A novel…

Undoubtedly the acquisition of mathematical skills for problem solving is critically important in today's sophisticated technological world. There is growing evidence that meta-cognition application is an important component of academic success in general and impacts on mathematical achievement in particular. Teachers' application of…

As the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government enforced a nationwide lockdown in March 2020. The resulting closure of medical schools necessitated the provision of clinical skills teaching on remote platforms. This presented numerous challenges especially for skills that require…

This paper discusses the extent to which the professional development (cascade model) met its goal of improving mathematics teaching and learning during the implementation of National Curriculum Statement in South Africa. Fifty mathematics teachers from ten public secondary schools in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province of South Africa were chosen…

Background: South African-structured reading programmes have been implemented in schools in South Africa. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS) is an education triple cocktail programme, which attempts to improve home language reading in a number of schools. Aim: The objective of this research was to find out how the educators involved in the…

In South Africa's reception classes (Grade R), the harsh reality is that the sector is beset by serious challenges. As part of a broader professional development study, this article focuses on the actual operations of Grade R educators as they conduct mathematics lessons using video technology to record their teaching. An observation tool adapted…

This study examined preservice teachers' (PSTs) capacity to create mathematical modeling problems (MMPs) for grades 1 to 3. PSTs created MMPs for their choice of grade level and aligned the mathematical content of their MMPs with the relevant mathematics curriculum. PSTs were given criteria adapted from Galbraith's MMP design principles to guide…

The need for quality teaching is reflected in the poor performance of students in international tests. Teachers' practices and contextual factors could contribute to substandard quality of teaching in South Africa. Several studies indicate that successful learning is largely dependent on the teachers' practices in class. The focus of the present…

Digital technology for teaching practice students means the ability of student teachers to use digital artefacts as integral part of their pedagogical content knowledge. Student teachers need to be also aware of what implications this has for teaching and learning strategies plus the building aspects in the lesson presentation. A new approach to…

The research reported in this article formed part of an internationally funded project about the empowerment of Information Technology (IT) teachers in economically deprived rural schools in the North-West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa. The current paper focused on the use of self-directed metacognitive (SDM) questioning in a pair…