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Abstract The article describes an evaluation, over three years, of a Concentrated Language Encounter literacy development project in the Western Cape region of South Africa. At the end of 2003 the project had involved 262 disadvantaged... more
Abstract The article describes an evaluation, over three years, of a Concentrated Language Encounter literacy development project in the Western Cape region of South Africa. At the end of 2003 the project had involved 262 disadvantaged schools, with 2 749 classroom teachers trained in the programme methodology over four geographically different districts of the Western Cape. Data were gathered from Grades 1 to 7 in four randomly selected experimental schools and four matching control schools over the four districts. Four learner performance measures applicable at different grade levels, and appropriate to regional linguistic and cultural constraints, and one parent questionnaire were used. Statistically significant differences were found on all four performance measures for the main (condition) effect. These results are generally supported by interim results for 2001 and 2002, as well as by qualitative analysis of teacher feedback. Given a baseline assessment at the beginning of 2001, showing initial non-significant differences between experimental and control schools (Grades 1-7 ) on all measures, the results indicate that the Concentrated Language Encounter programme is having a significant and sustained impact on student performance. A marginal, but significant, difference in parental support of reading development was also demonstrated, despite no direct parent intervention of the programme in this area
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6th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Development, Education and Training
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South Africa International Conference on Educational Technologies, 24 – 26 APRIL 2016, Manhattan Hotel Pretoria, South Africa, “Empowering the 21st Century Learner” Proceedings
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Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Mar 21, 2016 in Savannah, GA, United States ISBN 978-1-939797-13-1 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Chesapeake, VA
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Integration of digital storytelling (DST) technique is perceived to be significant in diverse classrooms as it supports educational processes of such learning environments. Embracing the perception, this study focuses on the pre-service... more
Integration of digital storytelling (DST) technique is perceived to be significant in diverse classrooms as it supports educational processes of such learning environments. Embracing the perception, this study focuses on the pre-service teachers' uptake of the technique for classroom use. Pre-service teachers in the study are destined to the South African classrooms of which many are very diverse. Qualitative data, through focus group interviews with purposively selected participants from a university training teachers in South Africa, was collected. Results show that while the participants perceive the use of DST technique significant in diverse classrooms, they still do not have the confidence to integrate it into their pedagogy. They do not feel prepared regarding integrating technologies into classrooms. It is recommended that the teacher education ensures that the pre-service teachers get equipped with the vital skills for integration of DST into their diverse classrooms.
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Background: Research into language and reading scores show that South African learners struggle to read for meaning. Many local researchers report on the inadequate teaching training programmes. Teachers cannot teach basic comprehenion... more
Background: Research into language and reading scores show that South African learners struggle to read for meaning. Many local researchers report on the inadequate teaching training programmes. Teachers cannot teach basic comprehenion skills.Objectives: This research identifies a gap in the research and records an intervention programme designed to engage learners and develop their higher-order comprehension abilities. This research analyses responses from five learners who engaged in a variety of literacy activities to extend their zones of literacy abilities to become independent critical thinkers.Method: An interpretivist paradigm, within a qualitative approach, using a case study design was devised and implemented. Five struggling Grade 7 learners were purposively selected to participate in a 10-week intervention programme. Data were collected using pre-tests and post-tests and the learners’ own exercise books to assess their academic performance in written comprehensions, thei...
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Background: Developing higher-order comprehension skills of learners in primary schools is a challenge that faces many countries. South Africa is no exception. Primary school learners in South Africa have particularly low literacy and... more
Background: Developing higher-order comprehension skills of learners in primary schools is a challenge that faces many countries. South Africa is no exception. Primary school learners in South Africa have particularly low literacy and comprehension skills: many learners struggle to read for understanding. There is little published scholarship that focuses on developing the comprehension skills of Grade 3 learners in a second language. A lack of practical classroom knowledge in this area is what this article seeks to address.Objectives: To improve the higher-order comprehension skills of Grade 3 learners in a second language.Method: A qualitative approach, using a case study design, within an interpretivist paradigm was devised and deployed. Five struggling Grade 3 learners were purposively selected to participate in an intervention programme. Their parents or guardians and two current Grade 3 teachers were interviewed. Data were collected over a 10-week intervention programme. The f...
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Literature argues that for post-conflict pedagogies to facilitate student engagement across difference it requires emotional engagement with the subject. However, how to achieve such emotional engagement, without falling into the trap of... more
Literature argues that for post-conflict pedagogies to facilitate student engagement across difference it requires emotional engagement with the subject. However, how to achieve such emotional engagement, without falling into the trap of sentimentality, is an area that is under-researched. This paper reflects on conversations with South African students in a final year pre-service teacher-training programme, who developed digital stories as a vehicle for student engagement across difference. Applying ‘critical emotional reflexivity’ (Zembylas 2011) as an analytical framework, we found that students described the digital storytelling process as opening up different ways of being with/for the ‘Other’ and allowing them to start questioning cherished beliefs and assumptions about the ‘Other’. However, they had difficulties in placing themselves in a bigger historical and sociocultural context. Furthermore, the specific set-up of the project made it difficult to track lasting social chan...
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The current approach to reading comprehension instruction is not producing the desired outcomes. Provincial, national and international tests indicate that more than half of South African learners cannot read, understand and answer basic... more
The current approach to reading comprehension instruction is not producing the desired outcomes. Provincial, national and international tests indicate that more than half of South African learners cannot read, understand and answer basic comprehension questions. This research project was informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. A case study was conducted with a ten-year old Grade 4 boy who experienced difficulty with understanding comprehension questions. A six-week intervention was designed to improve his comprehension abilities and to identify instructional principles that were appropriate for him. Interviews and observations were conducted and inductively analysed. Findings showed that the learner was well equipped to retrieve explicitly stated information but struggled with higher-order level questions such as drawing inferences or evaluating content. Certain instructional practices were more favourable than others when teaching reading strategies.
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In South Africa, many learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend mainstream and private schools. This study explores the influence of executive function (EF) challenges experienced by one learner with ASD on his behavioural... more
In South Africa, many learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attend mainstream and private schools. This study explores the influence of executive function (EF) challenges experienced by one learner with ASD on his behavioural adaptation in an inclusive school environment. An interpretive case study approach was followed to help understand one unique ASD learner and explain the complexity of the behavioural adaptation challenges that he was experiencing. Observations and an interview were used as data collection methods. During data analysis, themes were identified within each section of the transcript. The processes of coding and categorising were employed to find connections and similarities between all the data collected. The results indicate that Learner T experienced EF challenges. Without acquiring and implementing appropriate EF skills, he found it difficult to exhibit appropriate social behaviour in the inclusive learning environment. The study attempts to debunk misco...
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A one-size-fits-all curriculum cannot address the issues faced by rural multigrade teachers and learners. In South Africa, despite government efforts to relieve adversity, poverty in rural areas is still rife and poor education still... more
A one-size-fits-all curriculum cannot address the issues faced by rural multigrade teachers and learners. In South Africa, despite government efforts to relieve adversity, poverty in rural areas is still rife and poor education still fails to lift people out of it (Joubert 2010). Equality is essential in ensuring that all South African children have access to quality education where they can learn in an environment free from bias and discrimination (Asmal 2001). Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological systems theory underpinned this study. The purpose of this research was to identify the challenges experienced by two foundation phase teachers in teaching writing. This research was a qualitative study embedded within an interpretive case study. The following factors became evident: poor socio-economic backgrounds, transport, parental illiteracy, and teacher challenges that include the following subthemes: reading problems, differentiated teaching, resources, the language of teaching and l...
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The purpose of this study is to explore the sensory processing difficulties of Grade Rlearners that are diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) in two schools in SouthAfrica. Attwood (2007, p. 271) considers sensory sensitivities to have... more
The purpose of this study is to explore the sensory processing difficulties of Grade Rlearners that are diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) in two schools in SouthAfrica. Attwood (2007, p. 271) considers sensory sensitivities to have a greater impacton the lives of these individuals, than problems with making friends, managingemotions and coping academically. This research approach was purely qualitative;it used interviews and observations. The sample consists of two independent case studies composed of learners aged between five and seven who had been clinically diagnosed with AS. The results confirmed sensory processing difficulties, andillustrated how these difficulties impacted on the general learning and development of learners diagnosed with AS. Although they were both bright learners, they wereperceived as underachievers. By identifying these sensory difficulties and creating awareness among educators, it is possible to debunk misconceptions people have of the adaptabilit...
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It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA) government’s huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology... more
It has been shown that teachers are reluctant to use technology despite the South African (SA) government’s huge expenditure on technological equipment. This might be the result of teachers being unable to select appropriate technology that will yield positive learning outcomes as well as being ill-equipped to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To this end, pre-service teachers at a University were trained on how to integrate digital storytelling (DST) effectively into their teaching. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the potential benefits of DST for teaching and learning and to determine factors that may prevent pre-service teachers’ uptake of DST during in-service practice. This is a qualitative study in which fifty pre-service teachers were divided into five groups for focus group interviews. Data were analysed, and the results show that pre- service teachers perceived DST to be beneficial in the classroom as it has the potential to (i) motivate and engage lea...
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The purpose of this research project was to understand how Cambourne’s theory of social constructivism, particularly his four instructional principles, was applied to the teaching of writing in two rural multigrade Foundation Phase... more
The purpose of this research project was to understand how Cambourne’s theory of social constructivism, particularly his four instructional principles, was applied to the teaching of writing in two rural multigrade Foundation Phase classrooms in the Western Cape. Multigrade schools account for 30% of all primary schools in South Africa, but in most cases teachers are not able to provide quality education to learners. Writing in rural multigrade Foundation Phase schools is a largely neglected area for teacher development and research. Even those teaching multigrade classes are not sure how to approach it. The national curriculum, as well as our South African constitution, encourages teachers to inspire children with values based on respect, democracy, equality, human dignity and social justice. However, the two rural multigrade classes in this research project faced many challenges that hindered their ability to reach these goals. The main theoretical framework underpinning this stud...
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse an innovative teaching and learning practice in which pre-service student teachers at the CPUT used digital stories to reflect on their experiences of diversity in their classroom. Managing diverse... more
The purpose of this paper is to analyse an innovative teaching and learning practice in which pre-service student teachers at the CPUT used digital stories to reflect on their experiences of diversity in their classroom. Managing diverse classrooms is one of the main challenges for all teachers. Digital storytelling can help manage such classrooms. It facilitates the convergence of four student-centered learning strategies: student engagement, reflection for deep learning, project-based learning, and the effective integration of technology into teaching. A qualitative research approach was employed whereby twenty-nine written stories and a recording of a focus-group interview with purposively selected participants from the group was the data collection technique. The results indicate that the digital storytelling approach exposed the students to new media literacies which prepared them for the rich and diverse contexts which they will encounter in their teaching. INTRODUCTION Storyt...