A Rhodes University Masters student uses forum theatre to offer and explore new routines of teaching Grade 6 Mathematics.

By Tsholofelo Robert Ledwaba

Sivuyisiwe Wani is a UKAR graduate, with a double major Undergraduate degree in Psychology and Drama cum laude for Dramatic Arts. She then pursued her Honours degree specialising in Acting, Creative Writing and Applied Theatre, and is now furthering her Master's degree in Drama, specialising in Applied Theatre. To accomplish her thesis, Sivuyisiwe commenced a performative project in collaboration with the learners of Samuel Ntlebi Primary School in Makhanda, which aimed to explore South African Mathematics in Grade 6. She does so by using forum theatre as a productive tool that serves as a vehicle for social change.

A photograph of Sivuyisiwe Wani on her graduation day. [Supplied]

“I have always been interested in studying mathematics as it is an important subject in the country, but there was a point in my life where I thought I was not good at it because I ended up not doing well as I was supposed to. This led me to wonder that perhaps the way mathematics is being taught and the system used to teach the learners needs to be improved. If mathematics were taught through music, it would have resulted in better understanding for many students in our generation”. Looking into the statistics of the students not wanting to pursue mathematics as part of their tertiary modules due to the relevance with the difficulty of critiquing numbers, Sivuyisiwe is correlating her thesis with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for Mathematics in Grade 6 to accentuate that mathematics is not about numbers, but a way of thinking as it trains the brain to reason systematically and think critically. It teaches a lot about problem-solving, including building discipline and improving decision-making abilities, through forum theatre to combat the issue and hear from the learner on how they feel about the representation of mathematics and measurement in Grade 6. 

Sivuyisiwe working alongside with the Grade 6 learners of Samuel Ntlebi Primary School. [Captured by Tsholofelo Robert Ledwaba]

As the intervention culminated, the learners and teachers at the school came up with suggestions on how both the teacher and learners can work hand in hand and explore new ways in terms of teaching measurement in mathematics. One of the spectators recommended that water bottles containing the colourations of measurement marks should be used, in that way measurement would be understandable through practical work rather than theory. Critical pedagogy can move forward as we shift the educator from being in the position of power and enable learners to suggest ways in which the content should be taught, rather than democratising the work. This could result in a dialogical collaboration with the educators following new strategies without losing the curriculum or subject guidelines. 

“I had to be careful with how many times I saw the learners throughout the week so that my project would not affect their curriculum and class time. Therefore, time constraints were my biggest struggle as I was [only] able to see the learners twice in a week and had to adjust to public holidays too,” said Sivuyisiwe. 

A photograph of Sivuyisiwe alongside with her examiners Dr. Ndebele, Dr. Mokuku, Dr. Ayanda Khala-Phiri (UKZN), Tshepang Maticoe (UCT), and Mr. Nxeba (Principal of the Samuel Ntlebi Primary School). [Captured by Tsholofelo Robert Ledwaba]

Using this project from her thesis, Sivuyisiwe hopes that the Department of Education could benefit from this as they would shift various techniques or routines in how they set their curriculum. New prodigal ways of teaching could come from this, and learners will benefit more. The main objective is to ensure that they understand and engage with the concepts of mathematics notably measurement. Therefore, Sivuyisiwe is disseminating the purpose of listening to what the learners are saying in terms of how they are being taught mathematics, as there are numerous factors that play a role in the way the learners enjoy and understand mathematics.