A case study in Rwanda

I haven't read many scientific articles in mathematics education from or about Rwanda, but here is one! Alphonse Uworwabayeho from Kigali Institute of Education in Rwanda, and University of Bristol, UK, has written an article entitled Teachers’ innovative change within countrywide reform: a case study in Rwanda. The article was published online in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education on Wednesday. This is even an Open Access article, so everyone should have full access to it! Here is the abstract of the article:

This article presents practical perspectives on mathematics teacher change through results of collaborative research with two mathematics secondary school teachers in order to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in Rwanda. The 2006 national mathematics curriculum reform stresses pedagogies that enhance problem-solving, critical thinking and argumentation. Teachers need to use new teaching strategies. This article is a case study looking at issues around developing teachers’ use of interactions in mathematics classrooms independently of the national programme. Outputs of the study include teachers’ awareness of the need for change and their increased flexibility to accept learners’ autonomy in shifting from teacher-centred to learner-centred pedagogy. Geometer’s Sketchpad challenged teachers’ practice and then provoked reflection to improve student learning.