Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis deals with my practice as a mathematics teacher at a post-matric programme at the University of Stellenbosch.I use aspects of three different approaches to social science research, namely phenomenology, narrative inquiry and the discipline of noticing, to research my personal experiences.These experiences include learning mathematics at school and university as well as teaching mathematics in a post-matric programme.These experiences are presented by means of briefbut-vivid descriptions, journal entries and records of classroom conversations and are reflected on in the light of relevant literature.The reflections and readings lead to alternative ways of thinking about learning, teaching and researching as found in the cognitive theory of enactivism.These new ways of thinking are used to reflect on my current practice by focusing particularly on knowing, listening and noticing and are used to imagine what my practice could look like in the future.My approach, framework, focus areas and imagined practice all emerge during the research process.This process is presented through 'behind-the-scene' reflections on my own experiences of doing research.By presenting these experiences, this thesis also deals with the process of doing research -in particular it deals with the process of using an emergent design.OPSOMMING Hierdie tesis handel oor my praktyk as wiskunde-onderwyseres by 'n post-matriekprogram aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch.As deel van die navorsing oor my personlike ervarings, gebruik ek aspekte van drie verskillende navorsingsbenaderings binne die sosiale wetenskappe, naamlik fenomenologie, narratiewe ondersoek en waarneeming as dissipline.Hierdie ervarings gaan veral oor my eie leer van wiskunde op skool en universiteit asook my onderrig van wiskunde as deel van die post-matriekprogram.My ervarings word geboekstaaf as kort-maar-duidelike beskrywings, joernaalinskrywings en afskrifte van klaskamergesprekke.Ek reflekteer oor hierdie ervarings op grond van van toepaslike literatuur.Die refleksie en literatuurstudie lei tot alternatiewe maniere om oor leer, onderwys en navorsing te dink, soos dit aangetref word in die kognitiewe teorie van "enactivism".Hierdie nuwe denkwyse word gebruik om oor my eie praktyk te reflekteer deur veral te fokus op maniere van ken, luister en waarneem en word ook gebruik om voorstellings te maak oor hoe my praktyk in die toekoms sou kon lyk.My benadering, raamwerk, fokusareas en voorgestelde praktyk het tydens die navorsingsproses vorm aangeneem.Hoe hierdie proses verloop het, word aan die hand van 'agter-die-skerms'-refleksies oor my eie navorsingservarings beskryf.Deur hierdie ervarings met die leser te deel word hierdie tesis ook een wat oor die navorsingsproses handel -veral oor hoe die navorsingsontwerp tydens die navorsingsproses vorm kan aanneem.v Ingrid: Well, I mean, physics is supposed to tell you why things are the way they are.It's supposed to explain the way the world works.Or at least that's what I always thought.But now it seems like we just try find equations and make them fit what we see.It doesn't seem right.Thomas: Well, we won't ever be able to explain how "the world" works perfectly.Whatever you use to try and explain how something works will always just be a model of the thing.And so it'll always be a simplification of the real thing.I mean the only way you can model something perfectly is to use the thing itself -and then you aren't modelling it any more.Ingrid: Ja, but still… [so does that mean… the only model that will describe the world perfectly is …the world itself…everything else is just going to be an imperfect attempt of describing the real thing.That means everything is just…our made up explanation…] ag, never mind.How's your PhD going?I later read a quote about research that addresses this issue: A completely full and faithful account would require real time, just as a map with scale 1 to 1 would be indistinguishable from what is mapped … the whole point about a novel, or a map, or research, is to summarise, condense, and distil, by making distinctions and being selective, without losing contact with what you consider to be the essence of the original.(Mason, 2002: 245) On the way to my next class I considered, for the first time, that "science" might just be a human-made creation in an attempt to explain the natural world.That afternoon, while sitting under a tree talking to Gus, a fellow student, I came the closest to quitting my studies I have ever come.However, I didn't quit and two years later, while still studying, I attended the following lesson. The LessonJacques and I are walking to the engineering buildings.Jacques is also doing his Honours in Mathematics.We are on our way to our first "Philosophy of Science" lecture which we will be attending together with the Applied Maths and Computer Science Honours students.We manage to find the classroom on the fifth floor of the second building.For the first time since the end of the
Author: Ingrid Mostert
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2122880832