FACT SHEET
RESEARCH
Improving transitions between home and school mathematics in
Papua New Guinea: Elementary teachers’ technology-enhanced
professional learning for quality teaching of Culture and Mathematics using
local languages and cultural practices
Focus 2: How can technology assist professional
learning?
2a) Has technology, infrastructure, costs changed
sufficiently to permit this?
2b) How can technology/video enhance this
understanding?
Description
During 2013-16, Dr Kay Owens with colleagues from
the University of Goroka and a linguist/teacher from
Charles Darwin University is undertaking a research
project funded by the Australian Development
Research Award on a design of principles for teaching
cultural mathematics and a design for technologyenhanced professional learning appropriate for remote
areas of Papua New Guinea. This is a design-based
research project.
Objectives
Focus 1: What are appropriate guidelines for
elementary teachers to recognise and use cultural
mathematical proficiencies for transition to school
mathematics?
1a) Can past research be converted to guidelines for
the many languages and ecologicies of PNG?
1b) Can linguistic guidelines be developed to guide
communities to determine appropriate vernacular
phrases for school mathematical concepts?
1c) How do the guidelines need refining for
elementary teachers to understand?
www.csu.edu.au/research/ripple
Methods
This project focuses on how to assist elementary
teachers in remote areas through professional learning
using a set of key ideas and examples. The intention is
to provide the professional learning on a touch-screen
laptop with solar power so that the teacher is
motivated to learn. However, the initial implementation
is by face-to-face workshops at a single or cluster of
schools. Three different ecologies are involved:
highlands, coastal, and inland in coastal provinces.
The design of key ideas is implemented in a workshop,
evaluated, refined, implemented and re-evaluated.
Observations, reflection, and participant evaluation at
workshops plus follow-up data from teacher
questionnaires, teacher one-to-one interviewing of four
children and two parents plus return visits to schools
will provide evaluation data.
After the first workshop implementation incorporating a
manual, videos, mathematics readers, appropriate
activities and an opportunity for practice in preparing
inquiry method learning plans and assessing children,
we slightly modified the principles and developed the
model. The key principles are:
• Mathematics in cultural activities
• Cultural capacity and partnerships
• Activities appropriate for children—play and
inquiry through investigation
• Mathematical ways of thinking
• Early mathematical ways of thinking in young
children
• Early mathematical development activities
• Language treasures (there are 800 plus
languages and cultures in PNG)
• Assessing, reporting and planning
The second design to be evaluated is related to
technology enhancement. Some of the key principles
are:
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Sustainability
Ease of use
Engaging the teachers to both read the
professional learning materials and engage in
preparing and implementing mathematics
lessons by using local languages and cultural
practices
Build a community of practice of teachers
implementing this approach
Policy implications and anticipated outcomes
The project aims to:
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build capacity for elementary teachers,
provincial elementary trainers and preservice
teacher educators
provide a model for further professional learning
and development of standards among teachers
through a community of practice that is
connected by technology
provide capacity for research and involve PNG
researchers in the global community of
researchers in ethnomathematics in which PNG
can be a major contributor
establish a professional learning that integrates
culture, language and mathematics in a
multilingual society
develop a design that will be useful for other
Indigenous communities
support the values and processes of learning
numeracy in the vernacular
provide a continuity between home and school
mathematics
strengthen education and Indigenous identity, to
improve the transitions, and to do this well for
mathematics
offer a means of planning to teachers so they
can be professional at the beginning school
level
Challenges
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Landslides, responses to elections, differences
in expectations of visits, and remoteness of
sites
The thirst for professional learning resulting in
unexpected numbers in remote field workshops
Support of the team, their communities, SIL
PNG VERA course
Time for project and length of workshop
Teachers’ opportunities to use English and
undertake initial teacher education
Local languages changing
Professional level required for undertaking the
planning using the inquiry method
www.csu.edu.au/research/ripple
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Recognising mathematical ways of thinking in
cultural activities and turning these into
appropriate mathematical inquiry for young
children
Enthusiasm to extend the reach of the project
stretching our time, budget and opportunities for
influencing policies
Achievements
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Published refereed research papers and
delivered papers at International Conference on
Pure and Applied Mathematics, Lae, PNG,
illustrating team’s growth in research capacity
Multicultural research team working together
Production of comprehensive manual, readers,
computer-enhancement, videos, making
research available to teachers
Contact
Dr Kay Owens
Charles Sturt University
Locked Bag 49
Dubbo NSW 2830
Australia
Tel: +61 2 68857352
Email: [email protected]
www.csu.edu.au/research/ripple
Vagi Bino, [email protected]
Priscilla Sakopa, [email protected]
Geori Kravia, [email protected]
Susie Daino, [email protected]
Kevin Kemito Me’e, [email protected]
Dr Samuel Kopamu, [email protected]
Dr Cris Edmonds-Wathen, [email protected]