Stories of secondary school teachers cultivating engaged pedagogy in mathematics classrooms.

Abstract

This study, titled “Stories of Secondary School Teachers Cultivating Engaged Pedagogy in Mathematics Classrooms,” explores the daily experiences of four South African secondary school mathematics teachers working in public schools. The research focuses on how their personal and professional experiences influence their teaching practices, particularly in the context of promoting engaged pedagogy in mathematics classrooms. Guided by Hooks (1994) concept of Engaged Pedagogy and Weaver and Wilding (2013), Five Dimensions of Engaged Teaching, this study creates a space for secondary school teachers to share their stories about cultivating engaged mathematics classrooms. Utilising a narrative inquiry approach within an interpretivism paradigm, the teachers' stories of their everyday experiences provide insights into how their personal and professional lives shape their teaching in mathematics. The narratives generated using various creative methods, such as memory drawings, selfportraiture, object inquiry, and unstructured interviews, enabled teachers to reflect on their memories and comfortably share the rich and complex stories of their past and present experiences. The data analysed through a paradigmatic lens highlights a range of emotions, feelings, and significant relationships that influenced how these teachers conveyed their experiences in mathematics classrooms. Mathematics teachers face daily demands from the department to produce desired results in mathematics and try to negotiate challenges to foster engaged pedagogy in mathematics classrooms. This study broadened my understanding of secondary school teachers' lived experiences and how their teaching practices are continuously shaped by navigating challenges and demands. The findings highlight how mathematics teachers can reflect on both past and present experiences, using these memories to inform and engage pedagogical practices within mathematics classrooms. The study revealed that transforming classrooms into environments of imagination, curiosity, and play promotes deeper engagement and connection in mathematics learning. Future research could build upon this study by exploring the narratives of primary and secondary school teachers across KwaZulu-Natal, investigating how their past and present experiences influence the development of engaged pedagogy in mathematics classrooms.