This paper is derived from activities carried out by CASME (Centre for the Advancement of Science... more This paper is derived from activities carried out by CASME (Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education) in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. CASME aims to address historical, systemic imbalances inherent in the South African education system by improving and sustaining the quality and accessibility of Mathematics and Science education. It does this in a three-pronged way: in-service training; school based support and the provision of resources for Mathematics and Science teachers in poorly resourced teaching communities. CASME concedes that educator change is a long-term project, but that it is a necessary precursor to gains in learners ’ performance. The focus of this paper is an evaluatory account of CASME’s Dinaledi Life Sciences intervention programme. This programme functions within the context of curriculum redress and a variety of national and provincial strategies for addressing deficiencies in the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in South Af...
South African Journal of Childhood Education, 2012
Currently many children in early childhood education cannot be accommodated in provincial departm... more Currently many children in early childhood education cannot be accommodated in provincial department schools. Consequently, different non-governmental institutions offer Grade R programmes in an attempt to support the DBE. Pre-primary schools that traditionally took responsibility for early childhood education also offer Grade R education. The recent policy decision to include Grade R in the primary school is an innovation, which is still in its infancy. It is against this background that the national South African Curriculum (NCS) has to be implemented. This paper focuses on the teaching of natural science in Grade R and attempts to determine if the teaching and learning of natural science has different outcomes in the different contexts described above. An oral questionnaire was administered to capture children’s understanding of natural science phenomena, while interviews provided data with regard to teachers’ understanding of natural science in the foundation phase. The results ...
IntroductionHow does a novice academic writer learn to write a scholarly article? This is a quest... more IntroductionHow does a novice academic writer learn to write a scholarly article? This is a question confronting many emerging scholars who want to establish themselves as academics. I am a teacher, a novice writer, and an emerging researcher who wants to immerse myself in research and publication and in so doing establish myself in academia. As a third-year undergraduate student teacher several years ago, I conducted research on teenage pregnancy as part of a research and service learning module in the Faculty of Education,7 University of KwaZulu-Natal. In this module, we were expected to research the service learning projects that we conducted in various communities. I was engaged in a service learning project with pregnant teenage schoolchildren at a rural high school. I thought the project warranted writing an article to disseminate the findings. It was during this process, as well, that I was exploring what is expected when writing a research article. Because the article writin...
In 1994 the South African democratic government was sworn into power. A new education curriculum ... more In 1994 the South African democratic government was sworn into power. A new education curriculum was implemented to replace the redundant, racialised apartheid education curriculum. The Department of Education was concerned with developing a skilled and computer literate workforce for the progressive development of the country to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The research question asked in this research is – How can student teachers engage with ICT for the empowerment of disadvantaged (socially and economically deprived) communities? The theoretical framework that underpins this research is empowerment and authentic learning. The participants in this research were two groups of Biological Sciences student teachers who were registered for a research and service-learning module. The data collection methods included a document analysis of the Biological Science programme, the student work (PowerPoint and research report), semi-structured interviews with students and observat...
We perceive contestations between science, education and women’s engagement and have raised disru... more We perceive contestations between science, education and women’s engagement and have raised disruptions in their act of knowing and mobility in science education. This study explored science educators’ views, beliefs and actions of reproduction and subversion of gender stereotyping at a teacher education college in Nigeria. Six science educators were selected based on comprehensive gender information that facilitated conduction of the study. The six educators were purposively selected out of 11 educators who completed and returned the questionnaire. A qualitative approach and case study framed the research using instruments such as questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observation schedules. Thematic analysis and coding were done. Educators consciously and unconsciously reproduced gender stereotypes beliefs and practices. Educators explicitly and implicitly engaged in unequal distribution of cognitive activities amongst pre-service teachers influenced by their practice of cultur...
International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South... more International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South African learners. An essential tool that can be used to improve learners ’ mathematical skills is for educators to use effective feed-back. Our purpose in this study was to elicit learners ’ understanding and ex-pectations of teacher assessment feedback. The study was conducted with five Grade 9 mathematics learners. Data were generated from one group interview, seven journal entries by each learner, video-taped classroom observations and researcher field notes. The study revealed that the learners have insightful perceptions of the concept of educator feedback. While some learners viewed educator feedback as a tool to probe their understanding, others viewed it as a mechanism to get the educator’s point of view. A significant finding of the study was that learners viewed educator assessment feedback as instrumental in building or breaking their self-confidence.
Teaching for five, 10, 15 years. Why are you still teaching? Why are you still teaching science s... more Teaching for five, 10, 15 years. Why are you still teaching? Why are you still teaching science subjects? So, what is it about teaching that attracts you or in other words – What is in it for you? Most importantly, what is in it for the learners, the community and the world? Teaching is a double-binded affair with yourself and with others (learners, colleagues and others). With every aspect of what you do the introspective and reflexive questioning and responses to why you teach how and what you teach has a historical and almost umbilical cord to your first days of teaching or even learning how to teach or becoming a teacher. Reflecting on these days may reveal much about the decision to teach or was it just an act of putting pen to the teacher degree application form because there was nothing else? Or was it – “My daughter has been working for an insurance company for five years and she is now unemployed. I told her to do teaching because she will always have a job” (a conversation...
South Africa, in the post 1994 era, has concentrated on building projects and training for the im... more South Africa, in the post 1994 era, has concentrated on building projects and training for the implementation of Local Economic Development (LED). The KwaZulu-Natal Government Department and a local university signed a Service-Level agreement wherein both parties are committed to the development and delivery of a systematic professional and institutionalized capacity building competency in LED, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The aim of this research was to evaluate the development and delivery of a systematic professional and institutionalized capacity building competency in LED. The research question that underpinned this research is: Has the LED Training and Capacity Development Plan/Programme enhanced the capacity, growth and delivery of LED in the province? A pragmatic, mixed methods, multi-case approach was used. Convenient, purposive sampling methods were employed to select participants for the evaluation research, the individuals involved in the six initiatives of the prog...
Pre-service Biology student teachers completed a module/course on Research and Service-Learning a... more Pre-service Biology student teachers completed a module/course on Research and Service-Learning as part of their professional development. This module expected of student teachers to take new actions in that they were to work with the lecturer and a manager from a community organization to conduct a Research and Service-Learning project. This paper reports on two student teacher groups experiences of the project. The research questions that drove this paper are: What were the pre-service student teachers’ experiences of their Research and Service-Learning project? An interpretive and qualitative approach was used. An action research case study methodology with document analysis, reflective journals and class discussions was used. The data collected was analysed using a descriptive case study, providing narrative accounts for each of the student teacher groups. The data reveal the emotional, cognitive and social dynamics that the student teachers experienced. The conclusion reached i...
Education and change are crucial for humans to survive in a universe that is rapidly changing and... more Education and change are crucial for humans to survive in a universe that is rapidly changing and where uncertainty for the future reigns. Education change in South Africa is seen in the new education policies aimed at making the curriculum relevant, inclusive of different knowledge types and providing quality education for all. But, teachers are the crucial interface between the policies and quality education practice. There seems to be little clarity and/or agreement on how teachers should be prepared to fulfil this critical interface role. The daunting challenge for education is therefore to change teachers’ paradigms of thinking and action completely and to recognise the personal aspects that are linked to uncertainty (Barnett, 2004). This can only happen if teacher professional development programmes focus on student teachers constructing and using phronesis the capacity to act in the most effective and appropriate way in every particular situation – rather than possessing a bo...
In South Africa currently many young children have challenges in social, educational, emotional a... more In South Africa currently many young children have challenges in social, educational, emotional and biological aspects. Many young children live in a context where there is a high prevalence of HIV positive adults and children, high poverty and unemployment. This research is an exploration of the children’s perceptions of their quality of life and their ideas of what it should be. A qualitative, case study research design was used. The sample consisted of seven children who attended a Drop In-Centre, which is a community place where an adult mother figure cares for the two to five year old children during the day and the the six to fifteen year old children, before and after school. A questionnaire was administered to capture the children’s biographic data and semi-strucuted interviews provided data on their understanding of their quality of life. The findings indicate that the children have access to school and are acutely aware of their particular context and situations. Also, the...
This paper explores preservice science teachers’ views and reflections of science, Indigenous Kno... more This paper explores preservice science teachers’ views and reflections of science, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and their perspectives on the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge holders as teachers in the academy, in the context of teaching Environmentally sustainable development practices. Fortynine preservice teachers were engaged in a Science Education university module that prepared them for transformative pedagogy for the new South African school Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. This module included the teaching and learning of IKS, scientific issues pertaining to IKS, and preparing students to establish gardens on campus and in their communities, using agriculturally sustainable practices. Two African izinyanga (medicinal knowledge holders) shared their knowledge and skills of agriculture and sustainable development during the teaching of the Science Education module. Data were collected from 49 preservice teachers about their views of science and ...
This paper is derived from activities carried out by CASME (Centre for the Advancement of Science... more This paper is derived from activities carried out by CASME (Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education) in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. CASME aims to address historical, systemic imbalances inherent in the South African education system by improving and sustaining the quality and accessibility of Mathematics and Science education. It does this in a three-pronged way: in-service training; school based support and the provision of resources for Mathematics and Science teachers in poorly resourced teaching communities. CASME concedes that educator change is a long-term project, but that it is a necessary precursor to gains in learners ’ performance. The focus of this paper is an evaluatory account of CASME’s Dinaledi Life Sciences intervention programme. This programme functions within the context of curriculum redress and a variety of national and provincial strategies for addressing deficiencies in the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in South Af...
South African Journal of Childhood Education, 2012
Currently many children in early childhood education cannot be accommodated in provincial departm... more Currently many children in early childhood education cannot be accommodated in provincial department schools. Consequently, different non-governmental institutions offer Grade R programmes in an attempt to support the DBE. Pre-primary schools that traditionally took responsibility for early childhood education also offer Grade R education. The recent policy decision to include Grade R in the primary school is an innovation, which is still in its infancy. It is against this background that the national South African Curriculum (NCS) has to be implemented. This paper focuses on the teaching of natural science in Grade R and attempts to determine if the teaching and learning of natural science has different outcomes in the different contexts described above. An oral questionnaire was administered to capture children’s understanding of natural science phenomena, while interviews provided data with regard to teachers’ understanding of natural science in the foundation phase. The results ...
IntroductionHow does a novice academic writer learn to write a scholarly article? This is a quest... more IntroductionHow does a novice academic writer learn to write a scholarly article? This is a question confronting many emerging scholars who want to establish themselves as academics. I am a teacher, a novice writer, and an emerging researcher who wants to immerse myself in research and publication and in so doing establish myself in academia. As a third-year undergraduate student teacher several years ago, I conducted research on teenage pregnancy as part of a research and service learning module in the Faculty of Education,7 University of KwaZulu-Natal. In this module, we were expected to research the service learning projects that we conducted in various communities. I was engaged in a service learning project with pregnant teenage schoolchildren at a rural high school. I thought the project warranted writing an article to disseminate the findings. It was during this process, as well, that I was exploring what is expected when writing a research article. Because the article writin...
In 1994 the South African democratic government was sworn into power. A new education curriculum ... more In 1994 the South African democratic government was sworn into power. A new education curriculum was implemented to replace the redundant, racialised apartheid education curriculum. The Department of Education was concerned with developing a skilled and computer literate workforce for the progressive development of the country to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The research question asked in this research is – How can student teachers engage with ICT for the empowerment of disadvantaged (socially and economically deprived) communities? The theoretical framework that underpins this research is empowerment and authentic learning. The participants in this research were two groups of Biological Sciences student teachers who were registered for a research and service-learning module. The data collection methods included a document analysis of the Biological Science programme, the student work (PowerPoint and research report), semi-structured interviews with students and observat...
We perceive contestations between science, education and women’s engagement and have raised disru... more We perceive contestations between science, education and women’s engagement and have raised disruptions in their act of knowing and mobility in science education. This study explored science educators’ views, beliefs and actions of reproduction and subversion of gender stereotyping at a teacher education college in Nigeria. Six science educators were selected based on comprehensive gender information that facilitated conduction of the study. The six educators were purposively selected out of 11 educators who completed and returned the questionnaire. A qualitative approach and case study framed the research using instruments such as questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observation schedules. Thematic analysis and coding were done. Educators consciously and unconsciously reproduced gender stereotypes beliefs and practices. Educators explicitly and implicitly engaged in unequal distribution of cognitive activities amongst pre-service teachers influenced by their practice of cultur...
International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South... more International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South African learners. An essential tool that can be used to improve learners ’ mathematical skills is for educators to use effective feed-back. Our purpose in this study was to elicit learners ’ understanding and ex-pectations of teacher assessment feedback. The study was conducted with five Grade 9 mathematics learners. Data were generated from one group interview, seven journal entries by each learner, video-taped classroom observations and researcher field notes. The study revealed that the learners have insightful perceptions of the concept of educator feedback. While some learners viewed educator feedback as a tool to probe their understanding, others viewed it as a mechanism to get the educator’s point of view. A significant finding of the study was that learners viewed educator assessment feedback as instrumental in building or breaking their self-confidence.
Teaching for five, 10, 15 years. Why are you still teaching? Why are you still teaching science s... more Teaching for five, 10, 15 years. Why are you still teaching? Why are you still teaching science subjects? So, what is it about teaching that attracts you or in other words – What is in it for you? Most importantly, what is in it for the learners, the community and the world? Teaching is a double-binded affair with yourself and with others (learners, colleagues and others). With every aspect of what you do the introspective and reflexive questioning and responses to why you teach how and what you teach has a historical and almost umbilical cord to your first days of teaching or even learning how to teach or becoming a teacher. Reflecting on these days may reveal much about the decision to teach or was it just an act of putting pen to the teacher degree application form because there was nothing else? Or was it – “My daughter has been working for an insurance company for five years and she is now unemployed. I told her to do teaching because she will always have a job” (a conversation...
South Africa, in the post 1994 era, has concentrated on building projects and training for the im... more South Africa, in the post 1994 era, has concentrated on building projects and training for the implementation of Local Economic Development (LED). The KwaZulu-Natal Government Department and a local university signed a Service-Level agreement wherein both parties are committed to the development and delivery of a systematic professional and institutionalized capacity building competency in LED, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The aim of this research was to evaluate the development and delivery of a systematic professional and institutionalized capacity building competency in LED. The research question that underpinned this research is: Has the LED Training and Capacity Development Plan/Programme enhanced the capacity, growth and delivery of LED in the province? A pragmatic, mixed methods, multi-case approach was used. Convenient, purposive sampling methods were employed to select participants for the evaluation research, the individuals involved in the six initiatives of the prog...
Pre-service Biology student teachers completed a module/course on Research and Service-Learning a... more Pre-service Biology student teachers completed a module/course on Research and Service-Learning as part of their professional development. This module expected of student teachers to take new actions in that they were to work with the lecturer and a manager from a community organization to conduct a Research and Service-Learning project. This paper reports on two student teacher groups experiences of the project. The research questions that drove this paper are: What were the pre-service student teachers’ experiences of their Research and Service-Learning project? An interpretive and qualitative approach was used. An action research case study methodology with document analysis, reflective journals and class discussions was used. The data collected was analysed using a descriptive case study, providing narrative accounts for each of the student teacher groups. The data reveal the emotional, cognitive and social dynamics that the student teachers experienced. The conclusion reached i...
Education and change are crucial for humans to survive in a universe that is rapidly changing and... more Education and change are crucial for humans to survive in a universe that is rapidly changing and where uncertainty for the future reigns. Education change in South Africa is seen in the new education policies aimed at making the curriculum relevant, inclusive of different knowledge types and providing quality education for all. But, teachers are the crucial interface between the policies and quality education practice. There seems to be little clarity and/or agreement on how teachers should be prepared to fulfil this critical interface role. The daunting challenge for education is therefore to change teachers’ paradigms of thinking and action completely and to recognise the personal aspects that are linked to uncertainty (Barnett, 2004). This can only happen if teacher professional development programmes focus on student teachers constructing and using phronesis the capacity to act in the most effective and appropriate way in every particular situation – rather than possessing a bo...
In South Africa currently many young children have challenges in social, educational, emotional a... more In South Africa currently many young children have challenges in social, educational, emotional and biological aspects. Many young children live in a context where there is a high prevalence of HIV positive adults and children, high poverty and unemployment. This research is an exploration of the children’s perceptions of their quality of life and their ideas of what it should be. A qualitative, case study research design was used. The sample consisted of seven children who attended a Drop In-Centre, which is a community place where an adult mother figure cares for the two to five year old children during the day and the the six to fifteen year old children, before and after school. A questionnaire was administered to capture the children’s biographic data and semi-strucuted interviews provided data on their understanding of their quality of life. The findings indicate that the children have access to school and are acutely aware of their particular context and situations. Also, the...
This paper explores preservice science teachers’ views and reflections of science, Indigenous Kno... more This paper explores preservice science teachers’ views and reflections of science, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and their perspectives on the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge holders as teachers in the academy, in the context of teaching Environmentally sustainable development practices. Fortynine preservice teachers were engaged in a Science Education university module that prepared them for transformative pedagogy for the new South African school Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum. This module included the teaching and learning of IKS, scientific issues pertaining to IKS, and preparing students to establish gardens on campus and in their communities, using agriculturally sustainable practices. Two African izinyanga (medicinal knowledge holders) shared their knowledge and skills of agriculture and sustainable development during the teaching of the Science Education module. Data were collected from 49 preservice teachers about their views of science and ...
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