Mathematics Teacher Reflections on Storytelling in the Mother Tongue as a Learning Strategy

Storytelling as a strategy for teaching and learning mathematics in Quintiles 1–3 schools has been found to be positively associated with success in mathematics. Integrating stories in mathematics education has been found to be critical in promoting the conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts both at school and higher education levels. The question posed in this study was what mathematics teachers’ views were on the use of stories to teach school mathematics to Quintiles 1–3 learners in their mother tongue. Bruner’s narrative mode of thought where the paradigmatic and narrative modes of thought are described was used as the lens for the study. The study was conducted in one Quintile 3 school in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area of the Eastern Cape in South Africa where two secondary school teachers participated as co-researchers in a participatory action research study. The statements of the participants in the unstructured interview revealed that utilising storytelling as a pedagogical strategy in mathematics could yield enormous educational benefits. These include better retention of mathematical concepts, enhanced enjoyment of the subject, and the development of an enquiring mind amongst learners. However, to maintain learner interest, the stories chosen should not be too long and should be based in a relevant context.