The value of technology in twenty-first-century primary schools cannot be underestimated. This chapter chronicles mathematics teachers’ support for the use of technology in rural situated schools in South Africa. Access to and use of technology, as schools shifted between in-school and out-of-school learning, became crucial during and after the pandemic. In an endeavour to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in rural situated primary schools in South Africa, the Eastern Cape Department of Education provided in-service teachers with laptops and monthly data as instructional resources. The chapter resumes with an outline of the challenges posed by inadequate technological infrastructure, which impedes primary school mathematics teachers’ use of department-supplied technology devices when teaching. This is followed by a myriad of other challenges affecting schools in Sub-Saharan Africa in the application of technology in mathematics teaching. The effects and types of inequalities in South African society that affect technology use in teaching are also presented. For instance, the skewed provision of resources in the past dispensation became evident when schools in suburban areas had the necessary resources to adopt alternative modes of teaching. At the same time, township schools were unable to meet the demand for technological equipment, and the use of technology in teaching was a distinct challenge. The chapter also presents several ways to empower teachers with sufficient use of and alternative strategies for technology in rural situated schools. Consequently, constraints and advantages of using technology in South African mathematics teaching are presented. Connectivity issues across all schools, regardless of location, have been identified. How teachers were trained to be 4IR competent and exposed to different software applications that will help them teach mathematics more effectively will be interrogated. The chapter also outlines the department’s project to support all schools, including rural schools. In response to the research question, ‘How can primary school mathematics teachers be supported in using technology in rural situated schools’, this chapter reports on a qualitative study in which a sample of 126 participants were empowered with innovative mathematics teaching skills. The methodology followed in the study is explained, along with the instructional approaches and how teachers were empowered to use technology. The chapter concludes with an outline of the study’s findings and recommendations.

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Supporting Primary School Mathematics Teachers in Using Technology in Rural Situated Schools: The Case of Alfred Ndzo District in South Africa

  • Zingiswa Jojo

摘要

The value of technology in twenty-first-century primary schools cannot be underestimated. This chapter chronicles mathematics teachers’ support for the use of technology in rural situated schools in South Africa. Access to and use of technology, as schools shifted between in-school and out-of-school learning, became crucial during and after the pandemic. In an endeavour to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in rural situated primary schools in South Africa, the Eastern Cape Department of Education provided in-service teachers with laptops and monthly data as instructional resources. The chapter resumes with an outline of the challenges posed by inadequate technological infrastructure, which impedes primary school mathematics teachers’ use of department-supplied technology devices when teaching. This is followed by a myriad of other challenges affecting schools in Sub-Saharan Africa in the application of technology in mathematics teaching. The effects and types of inequalities in South African society that affect technology use in teaching are also presented. For instance, the skewed provision of resources in the past dispensation became evident when schools in suburban areas had the necessary resources to adopt alternative modes of teaching. At the same time, township schools were unable to meet the demand for technological equipment, and the use of technology in teaching was a distinct challenge. The chapter also presents several ways to empower teachers with sufficient use of and alternative strategies for technology in rural situated schools. Consequently, constraints and advantages of using technology in South African mathematics teaching are presented. Connectivity issues across all schools, regardless of location, have been identified. How teachers were trained to be 4IR competent and exposed to different software applications that will help them teach mathematics more effectively will be interrogated. The chapter also outlines the department’s project to support all schools, including rural schools. In response to the research question, ‘How can primary school mathematics teachers be supported in using technology in rural situated schools’, this chapter reports on a qualitative study in which a sample of 126 participants were empowered with innovative mathematics teaching skills. The methodology followed in the study is explained, along with the instructional approaches and how teachers were empowered to use technology. The chapter concludes with an outline of the study’s findings and recommendations.