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Posthumanism and educational research for sustainable futures
Get PDFAbstractKaren Barad’s (2007) concept of intra-action and Rosi Braidotti’s (2013) nomadicposthumanism are employed in this article to problematise the notion of educationalresearch for sustainable futures. In rejecting the hierarchical dualism of Cartesianobjectivism, which places the human above the non-human, I challenge the stable selfcontainedsubject that presuppose a dialectical relation to the other on which mosteducational research is premised. Instead, in drawing on the work of Barad and Braidotti,subjectivity is posited as always in the process of becoming-other through the actualisationof new relations. In light of such a subjectivity, I consider the implications for educationalresearch for sustainable futures. Furthermore, four avenues of thought are proposed on howeducational research informed by posthumanism could contribute towards sustainablefutures
School science for six-year-olds: a neo- Vygotskian approach to curriculum analysis
Get PDFThis article examines the forms of knowledge that constitute ‘science’ in the early schoolcurriculum in South Africa. We examine curriculum excerpts which represent the subject‘science’ in key curriculum texts for Grade R, the year in which learners are generally sixyears-old. Drawing on neo-Vygotskian theory, these representations are described inrelation to simple scientific concepts, i.e. concepts that are consistent with scientific criteriaand function as entry level concepts leading to the acquisition of more complex scientificconcepts.The study found that these key curriculum texts do not represent any science concepts inways that conform to the criteria for simple scientific concepts. Instead, these textsrepresent most science knowledge in terms of everyday concepts while a few concepts areintroduced in a way that could potentially prompt the Grade R educator to translate aneveryday concept into a simple scientific concept, i.e. as ‘potential’ scientific concepts. Theimplications are that the curriculum is not oriented to giving Grade R learners theopportunity to acquire the form or content of scientific knowledge or to develop thecognitive skills required for formal schooling
Teachers dealing with learners’ achievement – what do their emotions tell us?
Get PDFAbstractHargreaves (1998, 2004) has clarified the multiple ways in which teaching, includingassessment, is an emotional practice. In this article I present one facet of teachers’ emotionsin relation to assessment, namely, their emotions towards the quality of achievementproduced by their learners. The data comes from teachers who were committed to theirprofession, talking in focus groups about the range of emotions they experience in relationto various ‘objects’ (Nussbaum, 2001) within their assessment practice. The descriptiveanalysis of their common emotions illustrates how teachers are on an emotionalrollercoaster in response to the ‘object’ of learners’ achievement, with positive emotions inresponse to strong, and negative emotions in response to weak achievement. It alsoillustrates how teachers see themselves and their effort reflected both in strong, and in weaklearner achievement. Turner’s (2007, p.99–100) principle that “individuals will makeattributions about the cause of their emotional experiences”, with positive emotional arousaltending towards self-attributions and negative emotional arousal tending towards externalattributions, makes this self-attribution of committed teachers for not only strong but alsoweak learner achievement a significant findin
Exploring the recontextualisation of biology in the CAPS for Life Sciences
Get PDFAbstractThis study is concerned with the recontextualisation of biology in the most recent version ofthe South African Life Sciences curriculum, the CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment PolicyStatements). The following aspects of the curriculum were assessed: the balance ofcanonical and humanistic material, the inclusion and weighting of the core concepts ofbiology, and the overall curriculum coherence. The results were compared with those forearlier versions of the curriculum, and the implications for South African students areconsidered. The study reveals that, according to these criteria, the content material of theCAPS faithfully reflects the hierarchical nature of its parent discipline biolog
Portraits of primary school pre-service teachers at a South African university: Implications for nuanced student support Sarita
Get PDFIn a study of low-income students of colour in a primary school teacher education program in South Africa, the authors aimed to portray the diverse students along the lines of the demographic information about them and their views of their experiences of education. The researchers were concerned about student achievement and progression and argued that the genre of portraiture research could yield sociological research outcomes, which may provide useful information for program coordinators. They constructed six ‘personas,’ representing some of the demographic characteristics of a cohort of first year students as well as the challenges they face when they enter into higher education. They found that many are first generation students, who are expected contribute to the extended family, enabling them to respond to what is sometimes referred to as ‘Black Tax’ in South Africa. The authors suggest a radical rethink of financial- and academic support for such students
Deep conceptual learning opportunities in business studies classrooms
Get PDFThe curriculum design coherence model (CDC) (Gore, 2018) illustrates pedagogic practices that would lead to deep conceptual learning. What opportunities for deep conceptual learning and cognitive advance are provided in BS classrooms? This analysis of teaching in grade 11 Business Studies (BS) classrooms is framed by the concepts of deep learning from cognitivist theory and the 5 elements of the CDC model. This article is based on 10 lessons of 4 grade 11 BS teachers in 2 schools. The lessons were observed, recorded, transcribed, and deductively analysed according to an analytical framework based on the CDC model. Lesson analysis showed that 9 out of the 10 lessons provided surface learning opportunities and are not in accordance with the pedagogic processes of the CDC model for deep learning. While teachers selected and sequenced concepts to be taught; they have difficulty with the key requirement of identifying appropriate content material and examples to facilitate concept formation and understanding the meaning of. the concepts. The general pedagogy was reading out definitions of concepts. It amounts to telling students the definition of concepts and its basic components in a ‘bare-bones’ way and not adding ‘flesh’ that would facilitate deep conceptual learning. Students were not provided with content that requires them to analyse and infer meanings and make generalisations. Content that illustrated concepts in the form of case studies in the textbook were left out in the lessons. The omission and absence of appropriate content and examples jeopardises subsequent stages of the model for deep conceptual learning such as application of knowledge in different contexts, practicing and learning procedures and skills and opportunities for identity development. These practices deny learners access to deep learning of conceptual knowledge and developing their academic identity
‘Shifting perspectives’: an autoethno-graphic account of how my learning as a doctoral candidate influenced my thinking as a teacher educator
Get PDFAbstractMy journey of becoming a teacher educator in a university has been influenced by thelearning gleaned from doing a doctoral study. The experience that I had whilst working withchildren orphaned and rendered vulnerable by HIV and AIDS (OVC) changed myperspective as I discovered and learnt about their innate potential. In this article I provide anautoethnographic account of how my learning as a doctoral candidate impacted on the way Ithink about teaching pre-service teachers who will in turn teach in diverse contexts. Isupport my insights by data from my reflective journal, drawings and collages. I explainhow Sen’s capability framework helped me to make sense of my learning. Myautoethnographic reflective narrative has implications for how teacher educators mightreconsider their practice to help pre-service teachers to think critically about their ideas andpractice in relation to OVC