A case study of emergent environmental pedagogical content knowledge in a Fundisa for Change teacher professional development course
- Authors: Brundrit, Susan
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Career development -- South Africa , Environmental education -- South Africa , Teachers -- Training of --South Africa , Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Fundisa for Change
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62850 , vital:28301
- Description: This study set out to explore and describe in the form of a qualitative case study, an iteration of a Fundisa for Change teacher professional development programme, in this case the Teaching Life & Living short course presented to seventeen teachers as part of their Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) Senior Phase Natural Sciences, at the University of Cape Town. The focus of the research was on describing how the development of teacher environmental pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was supported and constructed in the course. The Consensus Model of Teacher Professional Knowledge and Skill, an outcome of the 2012 PCK Summit, was used to define the concept of PCK and also contributed the concept of amplifiers and filters as processes that mediate the development of teacher PCK. The study drew on Borko’s (2004) model of a professional development system, using the elements of course, teachers, facilitators and context as an analytical framework. Data generated included a teacher contextual profile questionnaire, audio-recordings of group work, course outputs and reflection and evaluation forms. Data analysis had two phases: the first phase concentrated on the development of analytic memos based on particular data sources whereas the second phase worked across data sources to present the evidence relating to each of the professional development system elements. The study found that teachers were supported in the development of their environmental PCK by the collaborative learning opportunities afforded by the course. Emergent PCK was organised according to five components: assessment knowledge; pedagogical knowledge; content knowledge; knowledge of learners; and, curricular knowledge. Emergent teacher learning ranged in specificity from general, to subject-specific, to domain-specific, and lastly to topic-specific knowledge. Teacher beliefs and orientations, prior knowledge and contexts brought into the professional development system were described as amplifiers and filters to teacher learning of PCK. In particular there were several contextual factors that emerged as themes from the data that had potentially filtering effects. Recommendations included that facilitators create an atmosphere conducive to collaborative learning, that evidence of learner conceptual understanding be examined during the course, that teachers be exposed to in-depth examples of canonical PCK and that more modelling of formative assessment strategies are presented.
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Monolingualism and its meaning in two KwaZulu-Natal high schools
- Authors: Carlyle, Jacqui
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Monolingualism -- South Africa , Monolingualism -- South Africa -- Case studies , Language awareness -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , School children -- South Africa -- Attitudes , School children -- South Africa -- Attitudes -- Case studies , African languages -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6543 , vital:21135
- Description: This study reports on the identity and attitudes of monolingual English speakers (MES) at two high schools in Durban, South Africa, in relation particularly to the role and meaning of monolingualism. Two bodies of data are used to investigate the attitudes of MES and are oriented towards four variables: English, African languages (particularly Zulu), monolingualism and plurilingualism. The attitudes to these variables reveal the impact on identity of language usage in Durban, and negotiations of the participants in trying to mitigate or justify attitudes that are counter to the embracing of diversity encouraged in modern South Africa. First, an attitude questionnaire provides quantitative data that is subjected to analysis, including a chi-squared test. Second, a narrative elicitation interview provides qualitative narrative data that is analysed in relation to APPRAISAL theory. Both analysis types are used to ascertain the presence of a monolingual mindset in the scholars’ responses, as well as to capture the ideological forces to which they are subjected as monolingual English speakers in the unique multilingual setting of Durban. In essence, the data points to a discourse of compromise and unease on the part of the participants - as they juggle with the effects of an English-centric monolingual mindset, and a more pervasive pluralism that embraces the Rainbowism of ‘the new South Africa’. This discourse of compromise is characterized on one side by insecurity and dissatisfaction with the language in education policy, and well as the monolingual upbringing of MES in Durban, and a lack of Language other than English (LOTE), in particular, Zulu. This side of the compromise also portrays a pro- plurilingual orientation, a positive valuation of knowing a LOTE and of plurilingual people. Here, however, the manifestation of the ‘other side’ of the compromise appears as the MES characterize plurilingualism as exceptional and too difficult, and language learning at school as having a negative impact on academic success. Alongside this is a normalization of English and othering of African languages in practical situation. English is also promoted as the language of unity and economic and academic progress or success, while the material value of African languages is questioned.
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