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3 results on '"presentation of organisation"'

1. Communities of Practice as a Tool for Continuing Professional Development of Technology Teachers' Professional Knowledge

Author

van As, Francois

Abstract

With the introduction of a new school curriculum in South Africa in 1998, Technology as a school subject was introduced for the first time. Implementation by the National Department of Education took place over a very short time frame allowing very little time for adequate training of technology teachers by the provincial departments of education. Teachers were expected to implement technology in schools without being adequately trained. They needed to develop their professional knowledge which comprises school knowledge, subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. This could mainly be done through continuing professional teacher development (CPTD). To address the lack of CPTD opportunities and to develop these teachers' professional knowledge, the Unit for Technology Education at a university in South Africa established a Community of Practice (CoP) as a strategy to develop teachers' professional knowledge in Civil Technology. However, after a number of CoP workshops, and although these CoPs have been designed to serve as a tool for CPTD, we do not know to what extent it succeeds in developing teachers' professional knowledge. The purpose of this article is to determine to what extent the CoP succeeded in developing teachers' professional knowledge. A qualitative study was conducted. Data were collected through the observation of the teachers during the CoPs, open-ended questionnaires and field notes taken during workshop discussions. The main findings were that the teachers gained discipline knowledge and acquired instructional methodology (pedagogy) from which learners may benefit. The presentation and organisation of the CoP influenced the learning of the teachers.

Published
2018
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2. Examining the Quality of Pedagogy Through a Tooth Morphology Board Game.

Author

Vahed, Anisa, Singh, Shalini, and McKenna, Sioux

Subjects
BOARD games, DENTAL technology, DENTAL education, EFFECTIVE teaching, HIGHER education
Abstract

Quality is a fundamental focus in the South African higher education context, especially in terms of the deteriorating student results in the subject Tooth Morphology and low throughput rates. This prompted an investigation into the quality, content, delivery and assessment of the subject Tooth Morphology, through which a Tooth Morphology board game was developed. It was perceived that the game could make the morphological abstractions of the subject more tangible for first-year students in the Dental Technology diploma offered at the Durban University of Technology. Arguments for the potential benefits of games in higher education have generated an increasing volume of research. The general focus of these studies, however, is based largely on empirically documented work with little theorisation about the pedagogy of games, particularly in terms of providing students with epistemological access. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design this study examined the quality of pedagogy through the Tooth Morphology board game in facilitating access to the target epistemology. Analysis of evaluations of preliminary work conducted from 2003 to 2006 (n=128) and pilot work conducted in 2007 and 2008 (n=62) suggested that the game enabled students to access morphological knowledge. In the main study conducted during 2009, 2010 and 2011(n=83), data was gathered using surveys, pre- and post-tests, observational data, debriefing sessions and student focus groups. Quantitative analyses entailed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, factor analysis and cross tabulations. Qualitative analyses entailed using the conceptual frameworks of Bernstein's knowledge codes and Maton's Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) of Specialisation. Statistically, the results revealed that an integrated game design with an appropriate mix of instructional content and applicable game features and mechanisms facilitates the provision of epistemological access. An LCT (Specialisation) analysis revealed that the Tooth Morphology board game represented a knowledge code, hence students acquired access to morphological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2014

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