BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (Senior & FET Phase)

Mathematics & Computer Science Education Cluster

_________________________________

Mathematics Education for Senior

Phase 3 (Algebra & Functions)
(EDMA322)

Course outline and Assessment tasks

2026

Edgewood campus

School of Education
University of KwaZulu-Natal

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1. Module title and code
Mathematics Education for Senior Phase 3 (Algebra & Functions) (EDMA322)

2. Module credit points

This is a 16-credit points module offered in the second semester.

3. Module lecturers
Dr JJL. Molebale (Module Coordinator)
Tel: 031 2603292
Email: MolebaleJ@[Link]
Room: G322 (Wing 3)
Main Tutorial building, ground floor, Edgewood campus

4. Mathematics Education for Senior and FET Phases

This is the third of four content modules for the Mathematics Education discipline in the Bachelor
of Education programmes for Senior Phase teachers.

5. Focus and purpose of the module

The module is intended to prepare pre-service teachers to facilitate the teaching and learning of
mathematics in the Senior Phase. The purpose is to develop personal confidence and competence
in mathematics content, especially in algebra concepts. This will prepare teachers for effective
facilitation of learning mathematics in the SP bands of study. It aims to provide a sound
knowledge base in algebra topics allowing them to apply the specific knowledge in a way that
connects to various concepts in mathematics.

6. Content topics offered in this module

Key ideas/concepts that we will explore will include:

Study of important and foundational mathematics education ideas applicable to Senior Phase
teaching of algebra:
 Problem-solving
 Variables
 Using patterns as a tool for generalization
 Working with algebraic expressions and language
 Solving equations and inequalities
 Functions and relations and graph work involving selective functions

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 7. Developing pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in
Mathematics Education Discipline
A key aim of all the Mathematics Education modules is to support learners in developing personal
competencies in mathematics content and the teaching and learning of the school mathematics in
their respective phases.
In the Mathematics Education Discipline, pre-service teachers’ mathematical content and
pedagogical content knowledge is developed through many in-class and homework activities,
including the following:

 Each student works on problem-solving mathematical challenges to develop an ability to

think critically. Ideally, in each lecture, students will be given a problem to solve within
five minutes of the lecture.
 Plenary sessions on the algebraic concepts stated above.
 Students working on the activities given in the lecture theatre based on the topic taught in
each lecture.
 Students working on the tutorial activities related to the work covered per week and
submitting the activities during the tutorials.
 Students attending tutorial sessions where they submit homework activities and get further
assistance on the concepts taught in the week.
 Student presentations during the lecture on the assigned activities as much as possible.

8. Session dates and venues

Sessions will take place on the Edgewood campus (UKZN), Pinetown, on the dates indicated in
the university timetable. The module has 39 hours for lectures and 19.5 hours for tutorials.

Attendance is essential for all sessions. The sessions will require active participation from all
students. Class activities and tasks will be aimed at developing students’ understanding of key
concepts and assisting students with the preparation of their tutorial tasks and assignments.

Week Date Session Content Session Assessment

Reading Task
preparation
9 Feb 2026  Module Introduction Section 1
 Module
1 -  Variables Outline
 Unit 1
12 Feb 2026  Algebraic Expressions & Factorization

Tutorial

16 Feb 2026  Quadratic Equations & Completing the

- Square
2
19 Feb 2026  The Quadratic Formula; Nature of Roots

Tutorial

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Week Date Session Content Reading
preparation
23 Feb 2026  Factor & Remainder Theorem
3 -
26 Feb 2026  Solving Cubic Equations Short Tutorial
Test
Tutorial (Week 1 & 2
Content)
2 Mar 2026  Logarithms & Exponents
4 -
5 Mar 2026  Logarithmic & Exponential Equations

Tutorial

9 Mar 2026  Relations, functions & mappings

5 -
 Functions: Domain & Range
12 Mar 2026
 Inverse Functions
Tutorial

16 Mar 2026  Graphs: Quadratic Functions & Hyperbolic

6 Functions (Exploring certain parameters: a
- & c)

19 Mar 2026  Further properties of parabolas &

hyperbolas (vertical & horizontal shifts)
Test 1
23 Mar 2026  Algebraic solution to inequalities Major Test 1
7 –
26 Mar 2026  (Week 3 - 7
Graphical solution to inequalities
Content)

Tutorial
28 Mar 2026
- Student Mid-Term Break
5 Apr 2026

8 Apr 2026  Reviewing parameters of algebraic Section 2

8 - functions
Unit on
Interpreting
Tutorial
Graphs

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Week Date Session Content Reading
preparation
13 Apr 2026  Interpreting graphs of algebraic functions
9 -
Tutorial on Interpreting Graphs
Major Test
16 Apr 2026  Combinations and Composition of on
functions Interpreting
Functions and
Composition of
functions
20 Apr 2026  Solving non-routine problems – Part 1 Section 2:
10 - (Relevant Problems) Unit on
23 Apr 2026 Problem
 Solving non-routine problems – Part 2 Solving
(Relevant Problems)
Tutorial on Combination and Composition
of Functions
Test - Interpreting functions and
Composition of functions

30 Apr 2026  Solving non-routine patterns – Part 3 Section 2: Unit

11 - on Problem
Solving
4 May 2026  Patterns (different representations, flow Section 2: Unit
12 - diagrams, tables, graphs diagrams) on Patterns Tutorial Test
on
Tutorial on Problem Solving & Problem
Patterns: Part 1 Solving and
7 May 2026  Patterns (Linear/ arithmetic/ geometric) Patterns

11 May 2026  Patterns (Quadratic, other types - unusual

13 - ones, recursive patterns, etc.)
Tutorial Test on Problem Solving &
Patterns: Part 2
14 May 2026  Revision upon request
 Module evaluation
18 May 2026
14 -
22 May 2026

9. Lecture venues

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 DAY TIME VENUE
Monday 9h40 – 11h10 MMLT
Wednesday 14h35 – 16h10 G209; S104; S207; S402
(Tutorials)
Thursday (Tutorials) 11h20 - 12h55 MMLT

10. Assessment tasks

There are two types of assessment in the module namely formative and summative assessment.
Formative assessment consists of class activities, tutorial tasks, tests, and one assignment. Details
of the class activities, tutorial tasks, and tests will be given when the module is taught. All class
activities, tutorial tasks, and assignments must be handed in on the due date unless you have a
valid excuse such as illness, or death in the family. In addition, students who have submitted valid
excuses will write the aegrotat test. The assignment is on the next page.

The summative assessment consists of 50% of the formative assessment and 50% of a three-hour
examination. The examination scripts will be externally moderated by an academic from another
institution, with expertise in the field of GET mathematics education. The greater of 10 or 10% of
the scripts will be sent for external examination.

There are two parts to your assessment of this module:

Formative assessment  Class tests 50%

 Assignment 100%
 Presentations
Summative assessment Examination 50%

11. D.P. requirements for this module

A minimum year mark of 40% and a minimum attendance of 75% of the module contact time.

Section 1 (Dr JJL Molebale)

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 UNIT 1

Variables and expressions

Variables
Mathematical expressions in elementary arithmetic involve fixed values called constants. For
example, there are 12 in a dozen, there are four sides of a rectangle, and 2 + 5 = 7. Constants
describe static situations in which change, generality, and variability are not under consideration.
Mathematical expressions in algebra still include constants but also include quantities that are
unknown, that can change, or whose value depends on how other, related values are determined or
selected. Changeable quantities are referred to as variables and are denoted by a symbol. Usually
the symbols are letters, such as the x in the equation x - 3 = 5, but sometimes other symbols are
used. For example, in elementary school, students are asked what number must be put in the
placeholder indicated by the box in the equation 󠇁󠇁- 3 = 5.
Introducing quantities can give a dynamic aspect to algebraic reasoning that goes far beyond the
reasoning of simple computation. Variables are used in at least four different ways in algebra.

Variables Describe Generalized Properties

For example, the distributive property of multiplication over addition in real numbers is succinctly
stated as a(b + c) = ab + ac, for all real numbers a, b, and c
Here, the symbols a, b, and c are generalized variables, used to describe a general property or
pattern. A generalized variable represents an arbitrary member of the set of elements for which
the property or pattern holds.
How would you explain the distributive property of multiplication over addition to your learners
in late elementary or middle school? Of course, there are many ways to do this.

Another way is to ask them to compute the area of a swimming pool of width 4 m and length (6 +
3) m. Follow that question with a few more that bring them to finding the area of a pool of width
a and length (b + c), computed in two ways. Their result will be the distributive property. This
mathematical habit of the mind shows how thinking with examples generates generalities.

Variables Express Relationships

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Jolie was born on her three-year-old sister Kendra’s birthday. How are their ages related? Letting
J and K denote their respective ages, we have several choices to express the age relationship:
J = K - 3 (“Jolie is three years younger than Kendra.”)
K = J + 3 (“Kendra is three years older than Jolie.”)
K - J = 3 (“The difference in age between Kendra and her younger sister Jolie is three years.”)

Variables Serve as Unknowns in Equations

For example, in the early grades learners can be asked to find the number to place in the
box that makes the sentence □ + 5 = 9 true. In the senior phase, a learner can be asked to
find all values of x for which (2x - 6)(x - 1) = 0. The second example shows why it is
appropriate to think of x as a variable since it can be replaced either with 3 or with 1 to
make the equation true.

Variables Express Formulas

Variables are used in formulas, as you have seen in your earlier math courses. To give
examples, several useful formulas are collected in the Table below:

Tutorial (Variables)

In each part, identify the variable and the role it plays.

(a) The length of a rectangle is twice its width w, and the area of the rectangle is 18 square meters.
What is the width w of the rectangle?
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(b) The associative law of addition in the set of integers states that

a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c, for all integers a, b, and c

(c) A single taxpayer has an adjusted gross income of X Rands in 2003, where X is between
R28,400 and R68,800.

The taxpayer owes the SARS R3910 + (0.25) (X - R28,400).

(d) Milos is twice as tall as his little sister, Onke, so m = 2a, where m and a denote the respective
heights of the siblings.

Algebraic Expressions
A numerical expression is any representation of a number that involves numbers and operation
symbols. For example, 3 + 8 and 22 ÷ 2 are both numerical expressions for 11. An algebraic
expression is a representation that involves variables, numbers, and operation symbols. For
example, 10x + 15y is an algebraic expression. It might represent the cost of taking x children and
y adults to a play, where children’s tickets are R10 each and adults’ tickets are R15 each.

In the examples that follow, you are challenged to create algebraic expressions.

Forming Algebraic Expressions

For each situation, form an algebraic expression that represents the requested values.
(a) The cost of every item in a store is increased by 15 rands. What is the cost of an
item that used to cost c rands? What is the old cost of an item that now costs d
rands?

(b) There was 3% inflation each of the last two years. What is the current price of
an item that cost p rands last year? If an item is q rands today, what was its price
two years ago? Assume that costs exactly follow the inflation rate.

Note:
The rest of the materials for this section will be uploaded by Dr Molebale on Learn2024.
Retrieve them from that platform in preparation for your lectures.

Section 2 (Mr. WT Mkhwanazi)

UNIT 1

Problem-Solving

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WHY PROBLEM SOLVING?

Mathematics is a powerful tool that can be used to solve a vast variety of problems in technology,
science, business and finance, medicine, and daily life.
It is taken as a truism and not further elaborated that the main reason for learning mathematics is
to be able to solve problems. Problem-solving should be the cornerstone of school mathematics.

WHAT IS A PROBLEM?

Mathematical tasks can be classified broadly into two general types: exercises and problems.

Exercises are tasks used for practice and for the mastery of skills. Here, learners already know
how to complete the tasks – they already have a routinized procedure. Problem solving on the
other hand are tasks in which the strategy or procedures are not readily apparent. Learners need to
strategize – to understand the situation, to plan and think of a mathematical model, and then to
carry out and evaluate their method and answer.

When two people talk about mathematics problem solving, they may not be talking about the
same thing. For a task to be a problem, there must be some barrier or a stumbling block, i.e. a
mathematics task that you do not know how to solve (yet), or it is a task for which you do not
already have a routinized (automatic) solution method. If this is not the case, then it is not a
problem to you, by any definition of the word “problem”!

Instead of distinguishing between exercises and problems, it may be more useful to use the
terminology routine problems and non-routine problems. So when we talk about problems in this
module, we do not mean exercises and routine problems − we mean non-routine problems!
We may therefore describe the process of problem solving as what to do when you do not know
what to do! This statement is a good description of problem-solving in this module-its goal is to
help you develop skills in how to attack tasks that you do not know how to do.

Of course, it brings discomfort and uncertainty! Our work in developing problem-solving

strategies is aimed at giving you the confidence to know that although you feel unsure, you will
be able to puzzle it out … eventually.

POLYA’S PROBLEM-SOLVING STAGES

The major contribution on problem-solving was made by George Polya. His book How to Solve
It has been translated into 18 languages.

In this book, he outlines the following four-step process for solving problems:
1. Understanding the problem
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2. Making a plan
3. Carrying out the plan
4. Looking back
These phases should not be interpreted as a linear, step-by-step
recipe for problem-solving – it is a cyclic, dynamic process
as illustrated here.

Together with these phases, Polya formulated several

problem-solving strategies or heuristics to help us in problem-solving.
These phases and heuristics will be summarised during the lecture.

Polya’s problem-solving steps will be used throughout the text. The purpose of this unit is to help
you become familiar with the four-step process and to acquaint you with some of the common
heuristics for solving problems:

Make a sketch or draw a diagram

Introduce some notation or symbolism
Guessing and checking
Making a table, look for patterns
Use special cases, be systematic

We will structure our discussion according to these heuristics but note that very often we use
more than one heuristic at the same time. In fact, it is a good idea, when you have solved a
problem one way, to try to solve the problem a different way (this is part of the looking back
phase). We often have a favourite approach to solving a problem that is comfortable. We should
try to use different approaches in order to build a large repertoire of problem-solving strategies.

Heuristics are strategies or plans that help us to generate a solution to a problem.

Using heuristics is what we do when we do not know what to do!

We will use the following problems in the discussions during lectures, and the sequence of
problems determines the flow of the discussion to follow.

Remember that mathematics is not a spectator sport – so it is advisable that you should first solve
the problems on your own before the discussion during the lectures.

PROBLEM 1: DIRECTIONS
Arnold drove 10 km east, then 5 km north, then 3 km east, then 11 km south, then 13 km west.
How far is he now from his starting place?

PROBLEM 2: SHEEP PEN 1

A farmer wants to build a rectangular pen for his sheep. The pen will be 24 m long, 20 m wide,
and have fence posts 4 m apart. How many fence posts does he need?

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PROBLEM 3: WOODEN BEAM
A carpenter saws a long wooden beam into 4 equal pieces in 12 minutes. How long will it take
him to saw a similar beam into 5 equal pieces?

PROBLEM 4: CLASSROOM
The desks in a classroom are arranged in straight rows with the same number of desks in each
row. Unless someone is absent, each desk is filled. Masaki is in the second row from the front and
the fourth row from the back. She is also the third learner from the left end of the row and the fifth
learner from the right. How many learners are in the class?

PROBLEM 5: HOW MANY TRIANGLES

How many triangles (of all sizes) are there in this figure?

PROBLEM 6: HOW MANY RECTANGLES?

How many rectangles of all sizes are there in this figure (there are 20 small rectangles)?
How many rectangles are there in such a figure with 10 small rectangles?
How many rectangles are there in such a figure with 100 small rectangles?
Generalize to any such figure …

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PROBLEM 7: HOW MANY SQUARES?
How many squares (of all sizes) are there on a standard 8x8 chessboard?

PROBLEM 8: TRIANGLE SUMS

In these figures, the numbers in the big circles are found by adding the numbers in the two
adjacent smaller circles. Find the three missing numbers in the second diagram according to this
pattern.

PROBLEM 9: CYCLES
There are a total of seven bicycles and tricycles altogether in the shop window. They have a total
of 19 wheels. How many bicycles are there?

PROBLEM 10: SHEEP PEN 2

A farmer has 100 m of fencing and wants to build a rectangular pen (kraal) for his sheep on a
grass field. He decides to build it in such a way that there is maximum grazing for the sheep.
What will the area of the pen be?
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PROBLEM 11: FIREWORKS
Sylvia forms triangle patterns with matches as shown below:

How many matches does she need to build a pattern with 100 triangles?
If she has 600 matches, how many triangles can she build?

PROBLEM 12: MYSTIC ROSE

In this figure, there are 18 points on the circle, and every point is connected to every other point
on the circle.

How many connecting lines (chords) are there all together?

If 50 points on a circle are connected in this way, how many

chords are formed?

PROBLEM 13: ONES DIGIT

7 2 = 7×7 = 49 ends on the digit 9 – we say the last, or ones-digit is 9.
7 3 = 7×7×7= 343 ends on the digit 3 – we say the last, or ones-digit is 3.
What is the ones-digit of 7 2012?

PROBLEM 14: FRACTIONS

If the pattern below is continued, find the 10th fraction in this sequence:

Now find the sum of these 10 fractions.

PROBLEM 15: NETBALL

In a netball game the final score was 47-38. How many possible half-time
scores were there?

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PROBLEM 16: CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS
Investigate the sum of 3 consecutive natural numbers.

Tutorial (Section 2 - Unit 1)

1. This flag has 7 regions. You want to colour the flag so that no two touching regions are the
same colour. What is the least number of colours you need?

2. How many triangles are there all together in this figure?

3. The average (arithmetic mean) of four numbers is 85. If the largest of these numbers is 97, what
is the mean of the remaining three numbers?

4. The average (arithmetic mean) of ten different positive whole numbers is 10. What is the
largest possible value of any of these ten numbers?

5. In the sketch 11 lines are drawn from a point to a line to form 10 “small” triangles. How many
triangles of all sizes are formed?

If we draw 100 such lines, how many triangles are formed?

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6. A magic substance is placed in a container, where it doubles in quantity every minute. If the
container is full after one hour, after how many minutes was it half-full?

7. Levinson’s Hardware has a number of bikes and trikes for sale. There are 27 seats and 60
wheels, all told. Determine how many bikes and how many trikes there are.

8. Joe writes down five numbers that have an average of 60. He then erases one of the numbers.
The average of the remaining four numbers is 50. What number did Joe erase?

9. 97 is a prime number. When its digits are reversed, the new number is also prime, i.e. 97 and
79 are both prime. How many two-digit prime numbers, less than 50, have this property?

10. Calculate:
2 – 1 + 3 – 2 + 4 – 3 + 5 – 4 + 6 – 5 + … + 101 – 100 = ________

11. A water tank is full. After 420 litres had been drawn from it, it is half full. How many litres
does the tank hold when it is full?

12. Blocks are stacked in the corner of a room as illustrated. How many blocks are used if they are
stacked to 6 layers? (5)

13. In a stock car race, the first five finishers in some order were a Ford, a Toyota, a Chevrolet, a
Mercedes, and a Dodge.
(a) The Ford finished 7 seconds before the Chevrolet.
(b) The Toyota finished 6 seconds after the Mercedes,
(c) The Dodge finished 8 seconds after the Mercedes,
(d) The Chevrolet finished 2 seconds before the Toyota.

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14. Liz has a large collection of white chairs and also of black chairs. At first, she puts down a
white chair. She then makes a second arrangement—a white chair surrounded by 4 black chairs as
below. For the third arrangement, she has added to the second area with four white chairs. In the
fourth position, Liz copied the third area and added four more black chairs. Assuming that the
pattern continues, how many black chairs will Liz need for the tenth arrangement?

UNIT 2

Patterns

The Curriculum and Patterns

Investigating patterns and relationships allows the learner to develop an appreciation of
the aesthetic and creative qualities of mathematics. Some of the skills that are developed
by the learner when (s)he investigates patterns are: generalising, explaining, describing,
observing, inferring, specialising, creating, justifying, representing, refuting, and
predicting. These are important mathematical skills which we would like to develop in
every learner.

We see also that in the Senior Phase, we need to focus on formalising the rules that
generate the patterns. The learner, in this phase, should investigate numerical and
geometric patterns to establish the relationships between variables. The learner should
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 also be able to express rules governing patterns in algebraic language or symbols.

Number Sequences Leading to Early Algebra

A. Continue each of the following sequences by writing three more terms.

1. 4; 7; 10; 13;………………………………….
2. 4; 3; 2; 1;…………………………………
3. 3; 9; 19; 33;…………………….
4. -4; -7; -12; -19;……………………….
5. 7; 11; 15; 19;……………………
6. 3; 8; 13; 18…………….
7. 9; 8; 7;………………
8. 1; 4; 9; 16……………….
9. 5; 8; 11; 14……………….
10. 8; 11; 14;17……………..
11. -3;-1; 1; 3;………….
12. 0; -2; -4; -6; ………………….
13. 3; 12; 27;48;……………………….
14. 6; 18; 30;42;……………………….
15. 16; 12; 8;8;4; ……………………..
16. 2; 8; 18; 32;……………….
17. 1; 8; 27;64……

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 18. -5; -4; -3; …….
19. 2; 4; 6; 8…………
½ ; 1; 3 …
2
20.

B. For each of the sequences above write down a formula to describe the nth term.

Patterns in Tables-1

Look at the numbers in this table and answer the questions.

1. X 2. Y
3. 4. 5
5. 6. 6
7. 8. 7
9. 10. 8
11. 12. 9
5
13. 14. …
6
15. 16. 11
7
17. 18. …
8
19. 20. …
…
21. 22.

1. When x is 2, what is y?

2. When x is 8, what is y?

3. When x is 800, what is y?

4. Describe in words how you would find y if you were told what x is.

5. Use algebra to write a rule, connecting x and y.

Patterns in Table- 2

The results of an experiment that measured two quantities L and Q were:

23. L 24.
25. Q
26. 3 27. 9
28. 5 29. 15
30. 9 31. 27
32. 21 33. 63

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 1. What would you expect Q to be when L is 30?

2. What would L be when Q is 99?

3. Describe in words how you would find Q if you were told what L is?

4. Use algebra to write a rule connecting L and Q.

TITLE: BRIDGES

The diagrams below show a “growing” bridge that we constructed using matchsticks. In
stage 1 we have one triangle formed by three matchsticks. In the next stage, stage 2, we
have three triangles formed using seven matchsticks. Use matchsticks to make these
bridges. Then look at the patterns that are being formed at each stage.

Stage 1: Stage 2:

Stage 3: Stage 4:

For each bridge record the number of triangles, the number of match sticks used, the
number of sticks round the edge (boundary sticks) and the number of sticks inside (inner
sticks).

1. Put your results in the table below.

stage (s) number of number of number of inner total number

triangles (t) boundary sticks sticks (i) of sticks (m)
(b)
1
2
3
4

2. Predict how many matchsticks you will need for a stage 50 bridge.

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 3. Find formulae for t in terms of s, another for b in terms of s, I in terms of s, and m in
terms of s.

4. If I want to make 111 triangles, how many matchsticks will I need?

TITLE: THE BOW TIE

Here are some diagrams showing how we created a growing shape (using matchsticks)
which we call bow ties. We have counted different things which grow as our bow tie
grows. We have labelled the two vertical edges sides 1 and 2. The boundary on the top is
3 and the boundary on the bottom is 4.

1. Complete the below table.

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a) What can you say about the stage 10 tie without having to make it or draw it?

b) Explain how you can be sure you are correct.

2. Suppose you have used 168 match-sticks to make a bigger bow tie,

a) at what stage are you?

b) How many matchsticks form the boundary of your bow tie at this stage?

3. Write down formulae for b in terms of s, e in terms of s, k in terms of s, m in

terms of s.

FIGURATE NUMBERS 1

TRIANGULAR NUMBERS

Look at the shapes formed at each stage.

Copy them down and draw the next one.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3Stage 4

1. Count the number of dots at each stage.

2. What pattern do you notice?

3. How many dots will the shape in stage 10 (10th triangular number) have?

4. How many dots will the 100th triangular number have?

5. Write a formula showing the number of dots the nth triangular number will have.

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 FIGURATE NUMBERS 2

SQUARE NUMBERS

Look at the shapes formed at each stage.

Copy them down and draw the next one.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

1. Count the number of dots in each shape.

2. What patterns do you notice?

3. How many dots will the 13th square number (i.e., the shape in stage 13) have?

4. How many dots will the nth square number have?

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More Patterns

Investigate and record in the same way, the number of posts needed to make a fence.

, , …
Arithmagons
An arithmagon is a polygon with numbers at its vertices which determine the numbers
written on its edges.
Find the missing numbers so that they add up to the number between
them. How many different solutions can you find?

3 14

Now make up some of your own and try it on a friend.

Are there ones you can make up that are impossible to solve? Why?