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1.
《Africa Education Review》2013,10(2):60-74
Abstract As outcomes-based education forms the foundation of the new school curriculum in South Africa, educators are confronted with the challenge of not only meeting the different needs of individual learners, but also of helping learners (many of them previously disadvantaged) to achieve their maximum potential. One way of realising this ideal is by applying Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in the classroom. The article provides a discussion on both Gardner's multiple intelligences theory and outcomes-based education in South Africa, as it is believed that together they can contribute to solving some of the present problems in South African education. The article defines the use of MI theory in an OBE classroom and suggests specific ways in which educators worldwide could incorporate the different intelligences in their teaching and learning activities. 相似文献
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Teacher educators’ professional journeys: pedagogical and systemic issues affecting role perceptions
《Africa Education Review》2013,10(2):309-330
ABSTRACTTeacher educators in many countries share similar concerns as they aspire to improve education for learners and stimulate interest in further study and careers. The roles and professional development of school teachers have been researched, but little attention has been given to teacher educators. Using a small-scale, illuminative study in England and South Africa, this paper examines pedagogical implications of progression from classroom teacher to teacher educator-tutor. Systemic issues include attitudes to personal scholarship in moving to high stakes academic environments requiring research. In both countries, there were issues of student teachers’ subject knowledge and their capacity to translate knowledge for learners. South African teacher educators were concerned about student teachers’ lack of appreciation of the integrity of conceptual understanding and sequencing of topic content. Implications for the professional development of teacher educators and their role identities are considered. 相似文献
3.
《Africa Education Review》2013,10(2):318-328
Abstract This article highlights inherent difficulties in defining learning disability, particularly in South Africa. It traces the evolution of the category from ‘minimal brain damage’ through to the more current ‘learners with special educational needs’ and ‘learners with barriers to learning.’ Different definitions or attempts to describe the phenomenon ‘learning disability’ are reviewed. An overview of the current international research in the field is provided with particular reference to research that attempts to define learning disability. Much of this research is framed within the medical model, which has as its foundation positivism and empiricism. This results in research which is deficit-focused; in other words the focus is on pathology. A second reductionist model fragments the phenomenon of learning disability into discrete units, each of which is researched. It is suggested that, in re-thinking learning disability, the focus shifts away from the deficit, pathology based, reductionist focus currently held across disciplines. The problem inherent in including the notion of ‘discrepancy between potential and performance’ in any definition is discussed, with particular reference to the measurement of ‘potential in South Africa's multicultural and multilingual learner population. The article ends with a proposal that there be a shift in focus to a panoptic view of the child: a view that takes in his strengths and talents. In so doing, the country may be better able to serve this growing population. With the national shift towards inclusive education, there is a renewed focus on learners euphemistically called learners with special educational needs or the more ‘in vogue’ learners with barriers to learning. Yet what we mean when we bandy these terms about, how well we understand these learners, is questionable. The focus of this article is that sub-group of learners that educators and parents think are just not achieving as they should be achieving, despite themselves, that sub-group we identify as having ‘potential’ but not ‘performance’; that sub-group that we just cannot quite explain, we just cannot quite understand; that sub-group for whom support ranges from placement to pills to punishment! This article critically evaluates the current understanding of the phenomenon of learning disability as it is understood in the South African context. It begins with an overview of the international research, with particular reference to the notion of definition. Thereafter, it makes comments on the term as it is used in South Africa. In conclusion, the article proposes the need for an alternative understanding of this group of learners. 相似文献
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《Africa Education Review》2013,10(3):568-587
Abstract To meet the demands of our highly technological and globally competitive society, it is becoming increasingly important for all learners in South Africa to obtain skills and knowledge in mathematics. However, South Africa performed the worst of all the countries who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). Education in South Africa is now confronted with the dilemma of how to improve the mathematics performance of learners. One way of dealing with this dilemma is to apply Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences in the classroom. This intervention should contribute positively to the South African Government's Foundation for Learning Campaign. This article suggests specific ways in which teachers can incorporate the different intelligences in their teaching and learning activities in the mathematics classroom. Recommendations are made for the application of the Multiple Intelligences Theory in the mathematics classroom, and topics for future research are suggested. 相似文献
5.
ABSTRACTLo’s variation theory is a learning and teaching theory based on Marton’s phenomenographic approach and is one of the most important backbones of learning studies. The proponents of variation theory demarcate their approach from constructivist learning approaches, stressing constructivism as philosophical framework, but not as learning theory. At the same time, the phenomenographic approach emphasizes the importance of Piaget’s work about the cognitive development, which should be considered when talking about learning and teaching. We argue that – from a theoretical point of view – Piaget’s theory of how cognitive schemata are developed and how variation theory proposes that learning can be fostered entails many similarities which are not apparent at first glance. We demonstrate the similarities and differences using a teaching example from an English as second language classroom and show the implications for practical instructional work. Finally, we discuss concrete suggestions how variation theory could benefit even more from Piaget’s theory. 相似文献
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Lesley le Grange 《Africa Education Review》2019,16(6):229-245
AbstractThis article argues that learner-centred education needs to shift from a discussion only on pedagogical activities such as group-work and other cooperative learning strategies. It suggests that the focus of learner-centred education should be on the cultural world of the African child and how this influences the way in which he/she learns Western science. The African child often experiences cognitive dissonance/perturbation when learning Western science. The article draws on insights from the theory of collateral learning which was originally developed by Jegede. It argues that unless policymakers and teachers take into consideration the cultural frameworks of learners, there will not be a sound basis for improving school science and school mathematics in South Africa. Spending more on resources and increasingly testing learners, as is currently done in South Africa, will not improve school science in South Africa. Improving school science in part depends on rethinking leaner-centred education, which means critically looking at the important role that cultural frameworks of learners play in learning Western science. 相似文献
8.
Chaijaroen Sumalee 《Educational Media International》2013,50(4):280-286
Abstracts English: This study aims to examine the learners’ mental models of television in actual media classroom activity by which knowledge was constructed. It aims to clarify the formation of the Thai learners’ mental models of television related to their learning achievements using the topic of Pythagoras’ theorem in nindi‐grade mathematics as a case study. A qualitative approach was used to investigate the effects of using instructional television, especially as they facilitate learners in the construction of mental models for understanding the learning content. The findings revealed the learners’ mental models, which they constructed while learning through watching television. Specifically, they revealed how media capabilities and the instructional designs that employ them interact with the learners and the task characteristics to influence the formation of the learners’ mental models and their learning achievement. 相似文献
9.
Over the past two decades, comprehensive sexuality education has increasingly been recognised as a measure that positively impacts on the sexual behaviour of young people in Africa. Despite this, and a political call to scale-up the use of comprehensive sexuality education in schools in South Africa, learners with disabilities continue to be left behind. Besides contending with negative hegemonic constructs of disabled sexualities, educators of learners with disabilities lack skills and resources to teach sexuality in accessible formats. Based on this premise, a comprehensive sexuality education approach – Breaking the Silence – was developed and piloted to assist educators of learners with disabilities to provide access to comprehensive sexuality education in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This article presents results from the formative evaluation of this pilot work and discusses educators’ perceptions of their learners with intellectual disabilities’ sexual knowledge, agency and behaviour after implementing the approach. Although educators appeared to situate learners with intellectual disabilities as sexual agents, their implementation of the approach was dependent on the cognitive ability of learners, and discourses of culture, gender and protection from violence. 相似文献
10.
《Ethnography and Education》2013,8(4):428-447
ABSTRACTThis study explores the multilayered meanings of classroom seating order – a crucial spatial element of school life – and its influences on children’s experiences. Drawing on fieldwork in a secondary school in northwest China, I ethnographically examine how school educators impose a hierarchy of seats in moral terms. My study shows that classroom seating arrangements in China’s underprivileged public schools are perceived as a hierarchy. Teachers motivate students to take learning seriously by strategically assigning the students to hierarchical seating locations and manipulating the proximity of their seats. I contend that classroom seating order has been transformed into a symbolic hierarchy to cultivate students’ attitude, a moral attribute considered crucial for achieving educational success. This study contributes to the emerging literature on the space in relation to educational processes. By situating the classroom seating into broader social-cultural-economic processes, it also demonstrates the methodological value of ethnographical examination of classroom. 相似文献
11.
AbstractSelf-regulated learning (SRL) – autonomously planning, self-monitoring and self-reflecting on learning – is a strong predictor of academic success. Mastery of the strategies needed to become a self-regulated learner does not develop automatically in all students; thus, the classroom environment, including pedagogy and modes of assessment, plays a vital role in stimulating SRL. Indeed, the post-16 curriculum in England is often criticised for failing to promote SRL. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), however, is a post-16 project-based qualification that has drawn from SRL theories. Research indicates that the EPQ can bolster A-level and degree attainment, yet, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unknown. This article reports on a qualitative investigation using focus groups and interviews to explore students’ and teachers’ experiences of the EPQ and its effects on general academic performance. The qualification was seen to promote SRL by building learner agency and self-awareness, and improving engagement. We argue that the EPQ offers solutions for many of the perceived deficits of the English post-16 curriculum and that the decline of the AS-level in England represents an opportunity for learners to fill the ‘fourth space’ with qualifications like the EPQ, which could empower them to pursue a broad and diverse education. 相似文献
12.
《Africa Education Review》2013,10(3):579-594
AbstractAs a result of the AIDS pandemic, adolescent-headed families are becoming a common trend in South Africa. However, little is known about the experiences of the adolescent, especially within the school context. Hence the purpose of this article was to explore the experiences of adolescents within the school context. During our initial review of literature we became very disillusioned by the findings of previous studies that portrayed an extremely bleak picture of the experiences of such adolescents. We decided to focus on adolescents from adolescent-headed homes that were displaying resilience in their academic and personal lives despite the odds. Resilience theory and positive psychology assisted us in exploring this topic. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews with learners and educators. The findings identify specific aspects that are essential to creating resilience to such an extent that they could be positive despite their life situations. We focus on those aspects to assist those adolescents that are indeed not coping. 相似文献
13.
《Africa Education Review》2013,10(2):221-241
Abstract Although mother tongue education is recommended by policymakers, researchers and language learning authorities, the reality in South Africa is that many parents/caregivers and learners believe that English is the best choice as Language of Learning and Teaching. Many English second-language (ESL) learners experience barriers to learning, because of a limited English proficiency. An empirical study was conducted to identify the needs and perceptions of Grade 4 educators regarding ESL learners with a limited English proficiency. The following factors were targeted in the study: demographic factors; language issues; educators' perception of learners with language barriers; and teaching of ESL learners who have limited English proficiency. The findings suggest that educators teaching ESL learners are in need of support. 相似文献
14.
Thelma de Jager 《International Journal of Inclusive Education》2013,17(1):80-94
Despite previous research and recommendations in South Africa, secondary-school teachers still encounter economic, social and cultural challenges in implementing differentiated learning activities in the classroom. The diversity of learners with learning barriers inevitably leads to an increase in workload for the teachers. This article draws on data generated from the research conducted in South Africa and from questionnaires completed by secondary-school teachers who identified existing challenges to implementing differentiated learning activities, as well as on student teachers who implemented three differentiated learning activities (for the slow, average and gifted learners), and reflects on their experiences of good and bad practices. The literature review and specialists' views were integrated to determine how to overcome the challenges that the implementation of differentiated learning faces. Several challenges to the implementation of differentiated learning were highlighted by the research. The research indicated that a total of 97% of teachers never or seldom use a flexible curriculum and extra time to accommodate the diverse learning needs of learners. This article provides guidelines on how to implement differentiated learning activities in secondary-school classes and offers ideas on how to start with differentiated teaching. 相似文献
15.
Leslie L. Bohon Susan McKelvey Joan A. Rhodes Valerie J. Robnolt 《Teacher Development》2017,21(5):609-634
AbstractExperiential learning theory places experience at the center of learning. Kolb’s four-stage cycle of experiential learning suggests that effective learners must engage fully in each stage of the cycle – feeling, reflection, thinking, and action. This research assesses the alignment of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle with the week-long Summer Institute of Assisting, Collaborating, and Training ESL Secondary Content Teachers (ACT-ESL), the first stage of a professional development model designed to train content teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs). Qualitative and quantitative data analysis from pre- and post-surveys determined positive changes in participants’ understanding of key ELL concepts, knowledge, and understanding of instructional strategies and practices. Analysis indicated that the Summer Institute had a large effect (d > 2.00 for each scale), regardless of previous training in ELL instructional strategies. Findings show that the Summer Institute incorporated the cycle of learning and tenets of Kolb’s experiential learning theory and evidenced teacher learning. 相似文献
16.
Robert Gray 《Technology, Pedagogy and Education》2019,28(4):473-484
ABSTRACTTaking full advantage of the educative benefits of interaction in digital learning environments will require the development of new theoretical frameworks that can contribute to a richer understanding of interaction. Literary theory provides an excellent place to develop such a framework and advanced understanding. Literary theory enables us to reconceptualise online courses as ‘texts’, thereby equipping us with more sophisticated modes of analysis for the teaching and learning process. By rethinking online courses as texts, and better yet as what Roland Barthes has described as ‘writerly’ texts, we can improve interaction in the online classroom. More importantly, we can move toward a more meaningful form of interaction, where learners interact with course content at the level of meaning and meaning making, where interaction becomes a full participation in the production of a lesson’s meaning. Indeed, this aim of co-producing meaning should be the primary objective of all learning. 相似文献
17.
Evidence of the value of constructivist theory in the classroom is especially important for educational practice in areas of poverty and social challenge. Research was undertaken in 2010 into the application of constructivist theory on instructional design. The findings of this research are particularly relevant to the current curricular crisis in South Africa which threatens to side-line constructivist priorities and return learners to rote learning from textbooks. The findings are situated here within the national debate over curricular design and instructional models. Placing instructional design within the larger context of national pedagogical contestation provides important evidence of the central role of Freirean imperatives for South Africa’s educational future. This article indicates that a constructivist framework, when pertinently arranged, provides holistic and sustainable procedures for knowledge creation. The findings from the research project showed that, in an environment conducive to learning, learners become self-motivated and better able to master the next phase of the curriculum. As a result of the constructivist framing, participants grew into strategic and effective learners who took responsibility for their own learning. These findings add weight to the call for reconsideration of constructivist foundations in national curriculum design. 相似文献
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《Africa Education Review》2013,10(3):548-568
Abstract “Technology”, the buzz word for the last ten to fifteen years in South Africa. Technology availability is quite often mistaken for technology adoption and use. Technology has been made available to almost all tertiary institutions and at least some public schools. However, in most tertiary institutions many professors still refuse to use technology to enhance their lectures and many educators in schools have not yet “come on board” in a manner of speaking. The South African government has indicated its intention to ensure that every school has access to a wide choice of diverse, high quality communication services that will benefit all learners and local communities (DOE 2004). It is important that the Department of Basic Education recognizes that regardless of the amount of technology and its sophistication, technology will not be used unless educators have the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to infuse it into the curriculum. The aim of this paper is to determine educators’ attitudes towards technology and thus technology adoption in teaching and learning. In doing so, this study attempted to determine what educators’ attitudes/perceptions (used synonymously) are towards constructs (e.g. relative advantage, perceived behavioural control, complexity) extracted from the different information systems (IS) technology adoption models. Thereafter, regression analysis was used to determine the best predictor of educators’ attitudes and thus technology adoption. The findings of this study suggest that overall the educators perceptions are somewhat positive across most IS constructs with the notable exception of Perceived Behavioural Control and Facilitating Conditions where the mean are below 3.5. The analysis suggests that the independent variables explaining the greatest amount of variance in computer attitudes are in order of predicative value: extrinsic motivation, perceived usefulness, complexity, perceived behavioural control and relative advantage. The results point to the importance of educators’ vision of technology itself, their experiences with it, their perceptions towards computer attributes and the conditions that surround its introduction into schools in shaping their attitudes towards technology and its subsequent diffusion into their educational practice. 相似文献
20.
Sandhya Devi Coll Richard Kevin Coll 《Research in Science & Technological Education》2018,36(2):185-204
Background: Recent research and curriculum reforms have indicated the need for diversifying teaching approaches by drawing upon student interest and engagement in ways which makes learning science meaningful. Purpose: This study examines the integration of informal/free choice learning which occurred during learning experiences outside school (LEOS) with classroom learning using digital technologies. Specifically, the digital technologies comprised a learning management system (LMS), Moodle, which fits well with students’ lived experiences and their digital world. Design and Method: This study examines three out-of-school visits to Informal Science Institutes (ISI) using a digitally integrated fieldtrip inventory (DIFI) Model. Research questions were analysed using thematic approach emerging along with semi-structured interviews, before, during and after the visit, and assessing students’ learning experiences. Data comprised photographs, field notes, and unobtrusive observations of the classroom, wiki postings, student work books and teacher planning diaries. Results: We argue, that pre- and post-visit planning using the DIFI Model is more likely to engage learners, and the use of a digital learning platform was even more likely to encourage collaborative learning. The conclusion can also be drawn that students’ level of motivation for collaborative learning positively correlates with their improvement in academic achievement. 相似文献