Enhancing STEM Learning through the Activated Classroom Teaching Pedagogy: A Case Study in Primary Mathematics
Desmond Wesley Govender 
, Daniel Adeboye & Irene Govender
Issue: Vol.5 No.16 Issue Article 35 pp.3132-3139
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451635 | Published online 24th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Students often exhibit a strong aversion to STEM subjects, particularly Mathematics, leading to poor performance. This study thus explored the use of the Activated Classroom Teaching (ACT) pedagogy in addressing this aversion. The ACT model incorporates five core components: curation, conversation, correction, creation, and chaos—that promote active learning through technology. A seven-week intervention was conducted with 91 primary school students in Nigeria to evaluate the model’s effect on student engagement and academic performance. Data was collected through pre- and post-intervention tests. Results indicated a significant improvement in students’ performance, with an 8.79% increase in mean scores. This study highlights the potential of active digital pedagogies to transform mathematics education and improve outcomes in STEM subjects. The results of this study show that active learning strategies, especially those that leverage technology, can play a critical role in addressing the challenges associated with traditional mathematics education.
Keywords: Active Pedagogy, Activated Classroom Teaching, Mathematics Education, Technology Integration.
Adeboye, D. “Basic Learning Anatomy,” 2016. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/basic-learning-anatomy-daniel-adeboye/.
Aguilar-Peña, Juan D, Catalina Rus-Casas, Dolores Eliche-Quesada, Francisco José Muñoz-Rodríguez, and M Dolores La Rubia. “Content Curation in E-Learning: A Case of Study with Spanish Engineering Students.” Applied Sciences 12, no. 6 (2022): 3188.
Anwar, Ayesha, Meryem Malik, Vaneeza Raees, and Anjum Anwar. “Role of Mass Media and Public Health Communications in the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Cureus 12, no. 9 (2020).
Ardeleanu, Roxana. “Traditional and Modern Teaching Methods in Mathematics.” Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education and Didactics 23, no. 2 (2019): 133–40.
Bada, Steve Olusegun, and Steve Olusegun. “Constructivism Learning Theory: A Paradigm for Teaching and Learning.” Journal of Research & Method in Education 5, no.6(2015): 66–70.
Bazelais, Paul, and Tenzin Doleck. “Blended Learning and Traditional Learning: A Comparative Study of College Mechanics Courses.” Education and Information Technologies 23, no. 6 (2018): 2889–2900.
Blewett, C. “ Activated Classroom Teaching: A Pedagogy for the Digital Age,” 2016.
Blewett, Craig. “From Traditional Pedagogy to Digital Pedagogy: Paradoxes, Affordances, and Approaches.” In Disrupting Higher Education Curriculum, 265–87. Brill, 2016.
Brown, Kirsty, and Hilary Kennedy. “Learning through Conversation: Exploring and Extending Teacher and Children’s Involvement in Classroom Talk.” School Psychology International 32, no. 4 (2011): 377–96.
Draper, Stephen W, Julie Cargill, and Quintin Cutts. “Electronically Enhanced Classroom Interaction.” Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 18, no. 1 (2002).
Faust, Jennifer L, and Donald R Paulson. “Active Learning in the College Classroom.” Journal on Excellence in College Teaching 9, no. 2 (1998).
Fischer, Melissa A, Kathleen M Mazor, Joann Baril, Eric Alper, Deborah DeMarco, and Michele Pugnaire. “Learning from Mistakes: Factors That Influence How Students and Residents Learn from Medical Errors.” Journal of General Internal Medicine 21 (2006): 419–23.
Freeman, Scott, Sarah L Eddy, Miles McDonough, Michelle K Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt, and Mary Pat Wenderoth. “Active Learning Increases Student Performance in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, no. 23 (2014): 8410–15.
Garber, Angela R. “Death by Powerpoint.” Small Business Computing. Com, 2001.
Gravemeijer, Koeno, and Paul Cobb. “Design Research from a Learning Design Perspective.” In Educational Design Research, 29–63. Routledge, 2006.
Hew, Khe Foon, Chengyuan Jia, Donn Emmanuel Gonda, and Shurui Bai. “Transitioning to the ‘New Normal’ of Learning in Unpredictable Times: Pedagogical Practices and Learning Performance in Fully Online Flipped Classrooms.” International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 17 (2020): 1–22.
Kunwar, Rajendra. “Mathematics Phobia: Causes, Symptoms and Ways to Overcome.” International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts 8, no. 8 (2020): 818–22.
Majekodunmi, Norda, and Kent Murnaghan. “‘ In Our Own Words’: Creating Videos as Teaching and Learning Tools.” Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research 7, no. 2 (2012).
Masek, Alias, and Sulaiman Yamin. “A Comparative Study of the Effect of Problem Based Learning and Traditional Learning Approaches on Students’ Knowledge Acquisition.” International Journal of Engineering Education 28, no. 5 (2012): 1161.
Raines, Joan M, and Linda M Clark. “A Brief Overview on Using Technology to Engage Students in Mathematics.” Current Issues in Education 14, no. 2 (2011).
Ribosa, Jesús, and David Duran. “Students Creating Videos for Learning by Teaching from Their Scientific Curiosity.” Research in Science & Technological Education 42, no. 2 (2024): 237–54.
Sherrington, T. “ How Do I Engage Passive Learners? ,” 2023. https://teacherhead.com/2023/01/17/tps6-how-do-i-engage-passive-learners/.
Somerville, Margaret, and Monica Green. “A Pedagogy of” Organized Chaos”: Ecological Learning in Primary Schools.” Children, Youth and Environments 21, no. 1 (2011): 14–34.
Verhaart, Michael. “Curating Digital Content in Teaching and Learning Using Wiki Technology.” In 2012 IEEE 12th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 191–93. IEEE, 2012.
Professor Desmond Govender is presently a full professor and the Discipline Leader in the Department of Computer Science Education in the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research interests are ICT integration in teaching and learning as well as the teaching of programming. He is presently a NRF rated researcher with over 20 years experience in academia.
Dr Daniel Adeboye is an Educational Technologist Consultant with a strong passion for effectively integrating technology into education and fostering innovation in learning. He has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and a proven record of over five years in the field. Experienced in providing training to educators at various levels, including primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.
Professor Irene Govender is presently a full professor in the Discipline of Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her research interests include Big Data Analytics and the teaching of programming. She is a NRF rated researcher with over 20 years experience in academia.
Govender, Desmond Wesley, Daniel Adeboye and Irene Govender. “Enhancing STEM Learning through the Activated Classroom Teaching Pedagogy: A Case Study in Primary Mathematics,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.16 (2024): 3132-3139. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451635
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
