Teachers’ practices of ‘cooperative learning’ instructional technique in six schools: Implications for learner performance in Mathematics

One of the key features of curriculum change in South Africa in the last twenty years has been a move away from teacher centred instructional techniques to those that promote active participation of learners in their learning. Although the post democratic National Curriculum Statement has put emphasis on the importance of cooperative learning as a learner centred instructional technique, there is hardly any research on how teachers in schools understand and use it. This study sought to fill this gap by using a case study of seven mathematics classes in six schools. Data was collected through interviews, observations and document analysis