There is the need to do auditing of subject knowledge to establish and address student teachers’ learning needs, perceptions and misconceptions in Number and Algebra. Knowledge, skills and understanding of fundamental concepts of Number and Algebra, as well as, the ability to identify one’s own individual characteristics (culture, ethnicity, religion, family constellation, socio-economic background, dis/ability, etc.), can lead to a student teacher’s ability to apply these two areas of mathematics in patterning, generalisation and algebraic reasoning in reminding the student teachers of the role of deductive reasoning in developing mathematical ideas. Algebra is about generalized mathematical thinking arising from seeing patterns and relationships. Strong foundations in
Number and Algebra can help student teachers to develop confidence in demonstrating their mathematical abilities. For that reason, this course is designed to help student teachers to develop demonstrable confidence to explain or justify their thinking, based on their observations, the patterns they have observed, or what they know about numbers and algebraic relationships. As they do so, they develop confidence in teaching related topics in Number and Algebra to their pupils at the respective grade levels.
Topics in Number and Algebra include recognizing and developing patterns, using numbers and number operations, properties of numbers, concept of sets, number bases and modulo arithmetic, and algebraic expressions. In addition, student teachers will explore operations on algebraic expressions, apply mathematical properties to algebraic equations and functions. Using many examples of different local and global contexts, student teachers will solve mathematical problems using equations, graphs and tables to investigate linear and quadratic relationships. ICT tools and other manipulative materials will be used to introduce student teachers to the concepts listed above and to extend their conceptual understanding of the areas under study.
The course will focus on mathematical content on one hand and the strategies and learning experiences in doing mathematics on the other hand. These will be combined to form an integrated instructional approach that addresses the course learning outcomes. Differentiated approach to teaching will be used to ensure that student teachers will be supported in the area of Number and Algebra. The instructional strategies will pay attention to all learners, especially girls and students with Special Education Needs. The course will be assessed using a variety of assessments methods including coursework (assignments, quizzes, project works and presentation) and end of semester examination to provide a comprehensive outlook of student teachers’ competencies and skills. References are made to the following (NTS, 2b, 2f, 3j; NTECF p.30).
- Teacher: Samuel Amoh Gyampoh