An Investigation Into The Teaching And Learning Of Shape And Space Concepts In The Reception Year
This study focuses on Reception Year teachers' classrooms. It investigates the state of Numeracy teaching, specifically Shape and Space, teaching at the earliest level of the formal school programme. The study focuses on six Reception Year teachers from a range of school sin the Cape Peninsula. Through the medium of in-depth interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations these teachers' perceptions of the new curriculum and Outcomes-Based Education was probed. Teachers were observed to ascertain how learning was mediated so that children could make meaning of Shape and Space concepts. The findings show a reasonable consistency in the teaching appraoches of these educators. The majoritn of teachers admitted insecurity in the field of mathematics teaching, specifically Geometry. In general, they showed little conceptual knowledge, which often resulted in practical, integrated teaching methods which did not extend their learners' conceptual knowledge.