Original Research

Weaving in connections: Studying changes in early grades additive relations teaching

Anna-Lena Ekdahl, Hamsa Venkat, Ulla Runesson, Mike Askew
South African Journal of Childhood Education | Vol 8, No 1 | a540 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v8i1.540 | © 2018 Anna-Lena Ekdahl | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 07 May 2017 | Published: 13 March 2018

About the author(s)

Anna-Lena Ekdahl, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden and Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Hamsa Venkat, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden and Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Ulla Runesson, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Sweden and Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Mike Askew, Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Abstract

In this article, we present aspects of teaching that draw attention to connections – both within and between examples – in order to explore the potential objects of learning that are brought into being in the classroom space and thus what is made available to learn. Our focus is on exploring differences in teaching over time, in the context of learning study style development activity of additive relation problems in three Grade 3 classes in South Africa. In a context where highly-localised and fragmented instruction has been noted, this study reports on the nature and extent of changes in connections in instruction over time. The application of a coding framework focused on simultaneity and connections in teaching points to a richer range of structural relationships within examples, and more connecting work between examples in the second year in comparison to the first year.

Keywords

Connections; Example space; Additive relations; Primary mathematics; Part-part-whole teaching; Missing number problem teaching; Changes in teaching; Variation theory; South Africa

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Crossref Citations

1. A 20-year review of South African Early Grade Mathematics Research Articles
Samantha Morrison, Mellony Graven, Hamsa Venkat, Pamela Vale
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education  vol: 27  issue: 3  first page: 304  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/18117295.2023.2226547