An Exploration of the 2009 Implementation of an Intervention for Grade 12 Mathematics using DVD Technology within a Blended Learning Context
[1]
Pragashni Padayachee , Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
[2]
Hennie Boshoff , Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
[3]
Ansie Harding , Department of Mathematics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
[4]
Hermien Johannes , Centre for Teaching, Learning and Media, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The need to explore the different approaches in teaching and learning of mathematics is urgent due to the ever worsening crisis in mathematics education in South Africa. Many interventions in South Africa are designed to address this crisis.. This paper highlights one such an intervention, using DVD technology within a blended approach. The outcome of this research has the possibility of contributing to the upliftment of the overall standard of mathematics in South Africa but especially in the Eastern Cape. This study describes a particular model of blended learning, devised for the Incubator School Project (ISP), an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The defining feature of this blended model is that it incorporates DVD technology, which offers an affordable and accessible option for the particular group of learners. DVD technology was used as an ingredient in this blended learning approach since it is easily available to the majority of learners and to the schools they attend. This paper reports on the 2009 implementation of the model and follows on research reported by Padayachee et al (2011) that describes the 2007 implementation of the model. The scope of blending of the model is evaluated by means of a radar chart, adapted from an existing radar measure. The findings of the study suggest that the use of DVD technology in the blended learning approach impacted favourably on the mathematics learning but that there are areas of weakness.
Blended Learning, Incubator Schools Project, Scope of Blending
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