Abstract
SERIAL NUMBER: LPMN05 South Africa's National Development Plan 2030 targets 90% of learners in Grades 3, 6, and 9 to attain at least 50% in mathematics, yet persistent teacher knowledge gaps pose one of the most critical barriers to bridging the existing crisis and the envisioned future. This study explores Foundation Phase mathematics teachers' knowledge of number-sense misconceptions and how this understanding influences their teaching methods in the rural Limpopo Province. Utilising a mixed-methods design involving 127 teachers from 15 schools, the study analyses teachers' ability to identify misconceptions in number sense, the pedagogical techniques they adopt to address them, and the relationship between teacher knowledge and learner outcomes. The findings reveal alarming gaps and three factors that constrain teachers' effectiveness: inadequate pre-service training in diagnosing mathematical reasoning, limited understanding of cognitive error mechanisms, and overreliance on procedural over conceptual instruction. In response, the study proposes an innovative teacher education framework for multilingual, under-resourced contexts, offering an evidence-based pathway towards South Africa's Vision 2030 goals.