Die pedagogiese benadering van opvoeders met betrekking tot leerders se leer in 'n landelike skool in die Oos-Kaap
Date
2020-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die fokus van hierdie studie is op die pedagogiese benadering van opvoeders met
betrekking tot leerders se leer. Die studie vind plaas in ’n skool genaamd Zithulele Independent School. Dit is geleë in ’n arm landelike deel van die Oos-Kaap en vorm
deel van die Vennootskapmodel vir Openbare Skole. Die bestudering van hierdie
skool se onderrigpraktyke het ryk bevindinge opgelewer as gevolg van die diversiteit
wat in die klaskamers aangetref word. Die klasse is gevul met isiXhosa-sprekende
werkersklasleerders en Engelssprekende middelklasleerders. Die doel van hierdie
studie is om die opvoeders se pedagogiese benadering tydens die onderrig van
hierdie diverse groep leerders te analiseer. Die opvoeders se pedagogiese benadering
ontmoet elke leerder in hulle huidige posisie teenoor leer deurdat hulle die leerders se
omgewing deel maak van die onderrig. Die literatuur benoem hierdie pedagogiese
benadering plekgebaseerde onderrig. Die navorsing bestudeer hoe die opvoeders
hulle wyse van onderrig aanpas om die plaaslike omgewing deel te maak van die
leerprosesse en sodoende die verskeidenheid ten opsigte van leerders op ’n gelyke
basis te handhaaf.
Die leerders in die skool bring ’n wye verskeidenheid van kennis vanuit hulle
huishoudelike omgewing na die klaskamer toe. Hierdie tipe kennis staan in die
literatuur bekend as fondse van kennis en vorm deel van ’n wisselende
onderhandeling tussen die leerders. Hierdie onderhandelinge sluit ook die bronne
vanuit die middelklas en werkersklas in. Die bronne vanuit die middelklas is kulturele
kapitaal en die bronne vanuit die werkersklas is gemeenskapskulturele rykdom. Die
kulturele kapitaal verwys na die akademiese kennis en gebruike wat benodig word om
suksesvol binne die middelklas milieu te verkeer. Gemeenskapskulturele rykdom
verwys weer na die praktiese gebruike en gewoontes wat gebruik word in die
werkersklas milieu. Hierdie vorm deel van die teoretiese onderbou van die studie,
omdat beide hierdie bronne nodig is om leerders se leer te versterk.
Hierdie navorsing val onder ’n kwalitatiewe paradigma. As ’n kwalitatiewe navorser het
ek die opvoeders in hulle alledaagse omgewing bestudeer en hul daaglikse
onderrigpraktyke ondersoek. Die studie is ook interpreterend van aard, omdat ek as
navorser die sosiale omgewing van die skool wou verstaan en ’n beter begrip wou kry
van hoe die opvoeders onderrig. Ek is in ’n posisie van binne-persoon in hierdie
navorsing geplaas deur die deelnemende observasie wat ek uit gevoer het. Dit het my in ’n goeie posisie geplaas om verskeie bevindinge vanuit die studie te maak. Die
oorkoepelende bevinding is dat plekgebaseerde leer ’n onderhandelingsplatform na
vore bring wat leerders toelaat om deel te neem aan ’n wisselende onderhandeling
van kulturele kapitaal en gemeenskapskulturele rykdom, en daardeur word hulle leer
versterk.
Die studie bestudeer drie aspekte in Zithulele Independent School om die opvoeders
se pedagogiese benadering te verklaar. Hierdie drie aspekte sluit in meertaligheid,
verweefdheid van kulture en klaskamerdinamika. Die opvoeders onderrig in Engels en
isiXhosa. Deur hierdie twee tale te gebruik word daar ook twee kulture tydens onderrig
geakkommodeer en daarom benodig dit ’n spesifieke klaskamerdinamika. Hierdie
aspekte is bestudeer om ’n beter blik op die opvoeders se benadering tot onderrig te
kry en gevolglik ook te kan verduidelik hoe dit hierdie diverse groep leerders se leer
versterk.
Daar word dus geargumenteer, deur hierdie studie se bevindinge, dat opvoeders se
plekgebaseerde onderrig ’n diverse groep leerders se leer verryk en versterk weens
die onderhandelingsplatform wat dit tussen die opvoeders en leerders meebring. Die
onderhandelinge versterk leerders se leer, omdat dit die leerders in ’n meer
gevorderde posisie teenoor leer plaas. Hierdie gevorderde posisie verwys na die
leerders se vermoë om gemakliker in ’n middelklas- of werkersklasomgewing te kan
omgaan. Plekgebasseerde pedagogie stel beide die werkersklas- en middelklas
leerders in staat om hulself te verken in ’n breër omgewing as net die beperkinge van
hulle huishoudelike omgewing, en word daardeur die geleentheid gebied om veel wyer
kennis op te doen en ’n beter begrip van die groter wêreld te bekom.
ENGLISH SUMMARY : The focus of this study is on the pedagogical approach of educators regarding learners' learning. The study takes place in a school called Zithulele Independent School. It is located in a poor rural part of the Eastern Cape and forms part of the Public Partnership Schools model. Studying this school's teaching practices has yielded rich findings due to the diversity present in the classroom. The classes are filled with isiXhosa-speaking working-class learners and English-speaking middleclass learners. The purpose of this study is to analyse the educators’ pedagogical approach while teaching this diverse group of learners. The educators’ pedagogical approach meets each learner in their current position towards learning by making the learners' environment part of the teaching that is taking place. The literature calls this pedagogical approach place-based teaching. This research investigates how the educators adapt their teaching to make the local environment part of the learning processes and thus maintain the diversity of learners on an equal basis. The learners present in the school bring a wide range of knowledge from their home environment into the classroom. This knowledge is known in the literature as funds of knowledge and forms part of the learning dialogue in the school. These dialogues also include resources from the middle-class and working-class. The resources from the middle-class are known as cultural capital and the resources from the working class as community cultural wealth. Cultural capital refers to the academic knowledge and practices that accompanies middle-class learners into the school environment. Community cultural wealth, in turn, refers to the practices and resources for learning that accompanies working-class learners in their school learning. This forms part of the theoretical underpinning of the study, as both of these sources are put to use in the classroom to enhance the learners' learning. This research falls under a qualitative paradigm. As a qualitative researcher, I studied the educators in their everyday environment and examined their daily teaching practices. The study is also interpretive in nature, because as a researcher I wanted to understand the social environment of the school and gain a better understanding of how the educators teach. I was placed in an insider position in this research by participating in classroom activities while I was observing. This has enabled me to obtain various findings from the study. The overarching finding is that place-based learning brings forward a platform for dialogues between the learners’ cultural capital and community cultural wealth that enhances their learning. The study examines three aspects of Zithulele Independent School to explain the educators’ pedagogical approach. These three aspects include multilingualism, interweaving of cultures and classroom dynamics. The educators teach in English and isiXhosa and through these two languages the two cultures are also accommodated during teaching and therefore a specific classroom dynamic is required to accomplish this. These aspects have been studied to gain a better view of the educators’ approach to teaching and, as a result, to explain how it strengthens the diverse group of learners' learning. Therefore, I argue, based on this study's findings, that educators’ place-based teaching enrich and strengthen a diverse group of learners' learning, as it provides a dialogue platform between learners. The dialogues strengthen both the working-class and middle-class learners' learning because they place them in a more advanced position towards learning. This advanced position refers to the learners’ ability, depending on their class background, to be more comfortable in a middle-class or working-class environment. It enables the learners to explore their education in a wider environment than being limited to just how their home environments position them. Place-based pedagogy provides them the opportunity to learn much wider knowledge and gain a better understanding of the larger world.
ENGLISH SUMMARY : The focus of this study is on the pedagogical approach of educators regarding learners' learning. The study takes place in a school called Zithulele Independent School. It is located in a poor rural part of the Eastern Cape and forms part of the Public Partnership Schools model. Studying this school's teaching practices has yielded rich findings due to the diversity present in the classroom. The classes are filled with isiXhosa-speaking working-class learners and English-speaking middleclass learners. The purpose of this study is to analyse the educators’ pedagogical approach while teaching this diverse group of learners. The educators’ pedagogical approach meets each learner in their current position towards learning by making the learners' environment part of the teaching that is taking place. The literature calls this pedagogical approach place-based teaching. This research investigates how the educators adapt their teaching to make the local environment part of the learning processes and thus maintain the diversity of learners on an equal basis. The learners present in the school bring a wide range of knowledge from their home environment into the classroom. This knowledge is known in the literature as funds of knowledge and forms part of the learning dialogue in the school. These dialogues also include resources from the middle-class and working-class. The resources from the middle-class are known as cultural capital and the resources from the working class as community cultural wealth. Cultural capital refers to the academic knowledge and practices that accompanies middle-class learners into the school environment. Community cultural wealth, in turn, refers to the practices and resources for learning that accompanies working-class learners in their school learning. This forms part of the theoretical underpinning of the study, as both of these sources are put to use in the classroom to enhance the learners' learning. This research falls under a qualitative paradigm. As a qualitative researcher, I studied the educators in their everyday environment and examined their daily teaching practices. The study is also interpretive in nature, because as a researcher I wanted to understand the social environment of the school and gain a better understanding of how the educators teach. I was placed in an insider position in this research by participating in classroom activities while I was observing. This has enabled me to obtain various findings from the study. The overarching finding is that place-based learning brings forward a platform for dialogues between the learners’ cultural capital and community cultural wealth that enhances their learning. The study examines three aspects of Zithulele Independent School to explain the educators’ pedagogical approach. These three aspects include multilingualism, interweaving of cultures and classroom dynamics. The educators teach in English and isiXhosa and through these two languages the two cultures are also accommodated during teaching and therefore a specific classroom dynamic is required to accomplish this. These aspects have been studied to gain a better view of the educators’ approach to teaching and, as a result, to explain how it strengthens the diverse group of learners' learning. Therefore, I argue, based on this study's findings, that educators’ place-based teaching enrich and strengthen a diverse group of learners' learning, as it provides a dialogue platform between learners. The dialogues strengthen both the working-class and middle-class learners' learning because they place them in a more advanced position towards learning. This advanced position refers to the learners’ ability, depending on their class background, to be more comfortable in a middle-class or working-class environment. It enables the learners to explore their education in a wider environment than being limited to just how their home environments position them. Place-based pedagogy provides them the opportunity to learn much wider knowledge and gain a better understanding of the larger world.
Description
Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Teaching -- Practice -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Rural schools -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Education -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Primary school teachers -- Zithulele Independent School -- Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Attitudes, School children -- Knowledge and learning -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), Place-based education -- Eastern Cape (South Africa), UCTD