Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Education Honours in Mathematics Education is to introduce and develop research-based knowledge and skills that can be applied for improvement of teaching and learning by practicing mathematics educators with an undergraduate degree that specialises in teaching and learning mathematics. The qualification will provide an opportunity for learners who want to develop their capability in research. Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to:

• Compile and demonstrate an understanding of specialist knowledge, engage with and critique current literature on practices in Mathematics Education.
• Use a wide range of specialised skills in identifying, conceptualising, designing, and implementing methods of enquiry to address complex and challenging problems within the field of specialisation and an understanding of the consequences of any solutions or insights generated within a specialised context.
• Design and implement strategies for the processing and management of information, to conduct a comprehensive review of current research in the area of specialisation to produce significant insights that can be applied to teaching and learning settings.
• Develop original or own learning strategies which sustain independent learning, academic and professional development, and interact effectively within the learning or professional group as a means of enhancing advanced knowledge and learning skills.

The qualification will provide learners with the knowledge and skills in literature and methodological techniques in mathematics education. It will serve to consolidate and deepen learners' knowledge in the field of mathematics education and to develop research capacity in its methodology and techniques, which will benefit high learners in mathematics through better teaching and learning approaches, as well as mathematics teachers with deeper knowledge and skills on teaching and learning in the subject. The qualification will empower learners with the much-needed capacity to investigate and put into practice factors that can influence the teaching and learning process and outcomes of mathematics in schools.

Rationale

South Africa, the African region and the world at large need postgraduate qualifications in science, technology and mathematics education that are well structured to provide high-quality professional learning pathways for qualified educators with an initial teacher education qualification, who wish to become experts and specialists in mathematics education through the study of theoretical and research-based knowledge and skills. The qualification will add value in promoting quality professional and academic development of initial postgraduates in mathematics education for the country, region and beyond.

The qualification has been developed to be in line with the revised policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications (Department of Higher Education and Training, Government Gazette No 34467, 15 July 2011) and the South African Standards for Principalship (18 March 2016). The qualification targets practicing teachers who are teaching Mathematics and will thus benefit the basic education sector by improving the teaching and learning of Mathematics at the Senior and Further Education and Training (FET) phases. In the most recent period in South Africa, Mathematics was regarded as a critical skill which attracted foreign educators in most secondary schools as a scarce teaching skill in the sector.

Qualifying learners may enrol into the Master's qualification in Mathematics Education, where they will contribute to the research capacity in higher education and respond to societal needs in the field of education in general, and particularly in mathematics education. The curriculum of the programme encompasses modules on mathematics education and research methods, and the research project is designed for in-depth study of a theory which can be infused to enrich the study and application of research in education from mathematics education theoretical perspectives. Qualifying learners will be able to critique and analyse a diverse range of mathematics education concepts in examining a variety of cognitive and theoretical underpinnings and factors that can influence the provision and outcomes of the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Nationally, all educators, including those teaching mathematics and who will qualify with this qualification will register to be members of the professional regulatory body for education, the South African Council of Educators (SACE). As they grow in the discipline, there are opportunities for qualifying learners to voluntarily register with such professional bodies as the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Associations of Mathematics Teachers.