Centre for Teaching and Learning

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Browsing Centre for Teaching and Learning by Author "Adendorff, Hanelie"

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    Factors influencing the learning process in first-year chemistry
    (AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2009) Adendorff, Hanelie; Lutz, Marietjie
    Introduction: [First-year chemistry students] think that by being in class the information is magically absorbed and stored in their brains. This sentiment, as expressed by a first-year chemistry student at Stellenbosch University, might not come as a surprise to most academics. Convincing students to actively engage with the process of learning is not an easy task and often defeats our best efforts and purest intentions. Teaching and learning experts suggest that we can change this by changing our assessment strategies (Gibbs, 1999; Gibbs & Simpson, 2004).
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    The relationship between identity, language and teaching and learning in higher education in South Africa
    (Stellenbosch University, 2005) Leibowitz, Brenda; Adendorff, Hanelie; Daniels, Shariefa; Loots, Ansie; Nakasa, Sipho; Ngxabazi, Nosipiwo; Van der Merwe, Antoinette; Van Deventer, Idilette
    The study on the relationship of identity, language and teaching and learning was conducted by a team of eight members at a higher education institution in the Western Cape. The aims of the research were to investigate the relationship between language, identity and learning, to show how this investigation can benefit dialogue about transformation, and to facilitate the research development of the team. The research design made use of narrative and educational biography in semi-structured interviews with 64 staff members and 100 students. The study supports views of identity as constructed and non-unitary. It shows how language, both as proficiency in the dominant medium of communication and as discourse, is a key component of identity in a higher education institution. The interviews demonstrated how, according to lecturers and students, language and discourse function as primary influences on individuals’ acculturation and integration into the academic community. According to the interviewees, language as a marker of identity is interwoven with other aspects of identity. It is both a resource and a source of identification and affiliation. The research demonstrated that dialogue and self reflection can be facilitated via research into identity, teaching and learning, and that this can be beneficial for both the interviewees and the research team.