Pedagogical Negotiations between Conventional and Innovative Strategies in Teaching KBSR Mathematics: The InSPIRE Project

Teachers’ pedagogical knowledge applied to mathematics teaching relate strongly to students’ mathematics achievement. However, it is known that from the needs analysis study, underperformance schools in remote areas lack competent and professionally trained mathematics teachers, especially with regards to Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). With this concern, a research project was carried out with the intention of retooling/retraining the teachers on the PCK of the four main subjects, namely English, Bahasa Malaysia, science and mathematics. Eleven modules on KBSR mathematics were developed. These modules incorporated in the text innovative strategies that teachers could adopt and adapt in their classroom mathematics teaching. The strategies include the mathematics processes such as communication, reasoning, mathematics connections and problem solving. This paper will present findings from the needs analysis study, excerpts of the mathematics teaching implementation sessions using the modules which brought about tensions, receptiveness and willingness in implementing the modules as well as children receptiveness in class interaction.