OPM1501
Assignment 2
(116421)
DUE: 5 JUNE 2026
, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
OPM1501 – Orientation to Intermediate Phase Mathematics
ASSESSMENT 02
Unique Number: 116421
Due Date: 5 June 2026
Based on Learning Units 2, 3 and 4
QUESTION 1
Question 1.1 – Essay (1 000 words) [30 marks]
Beyond Chalk and Talk: Transforming the Teaching of Measurement in the
Intermediate Phase
Mathematics education in South Africa has historically been dominated by what is
commonly termed 'traditional' or 'direct instruction' approaches, where the teacher
stands at the board, demonstrates a procedure, and learners copy and repeat it.
Nowhere is this pattern more visible or more damaging than in the teaching of
measurement in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6). The call to move away from
such approaches towards methods that foster genuine learner engagement and
meaningful learning is not simply a fashionable trend; it is grounded in decades of
research in mathematics education and is a direct requirement of South Africa's
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS).
Traditional teaching in mathematics is largely rooted in behaviourist theory, associated
with psychologists such as B.F. Skinner. In this paradigm, learning is viewed as the
passive transfer of knowledge from an expert teacher to an empty vessel learner.
Repetition, memorisation, and right-or-wrong feedback are the primary tools. In the
context of measurement a topic that includes length, mass, capacity, time, and
perimeter this often means learners spend their time copying unit conversions from
Assignment 2
(116421)
DUE: 5 JUNE 2026
, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
OPM1501 – Orientation to Intermediate Phase Mathematics
ASSESSMENT 02
Unique Number: 116421
Due Date: 5 June 2026
Based on Learning Units 2, 3 and 4
QUESTION 1
Question 1.1 – Essay (1 000 words) [30 marks]
Beyond Chalk and Talk: Transforming the Teaching of Measurement in the
Intermediate Phase
Mathematics education in South Africa has historically been dominated by what is
commonly termed 'traditional' or 'direct instruction' approaches, where the teacher
stands at the board, demonstrates a procedure, and learners copy and repeat it.
Nowhere is this pattern more visible or more damaging than in the teaching of
measurement in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6). The call to move away from
such approaches towards methods that foster genuine learner engagement and
meaningful learning is not simply a fashionable trend; it is grounded in decades of
research in mathematics education and is a direct requirement of South Africa's
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS).
Traditional teaching in mathematics is largely rooted in behaviourist theory, associated
with psychologists such as B.F. Skinner. In this paradigm, learning is viewed as the
passive transfer of knowledge from an expert teacher to an empty vessel learner.
Repetition, memorisation, and right-or-wrong feedback are the primary tools. In the
context of measurement a topic that includes length, mass, capacity, time, and
perimeter this often means learners spend their time copying unit conversions from
