Faculty of Education

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https://hdl.handle.net/10566/23

Research conducted in the Faculty of Education reflects the following areas of interest: education policy research, curriculum research, professional teacher education, adult education, science teaching, maths education, and the history of education in South Africa.

Electronic theses and dissertations are available in the Electronic Theses and Dissertations Repository.

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Browsing by Author "Abrahams, Achmat"

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    Promoting participatory teaching and learnig in the senior primary classroom.
    (University of the Western Cape, 1994) Abrahams, Achmat; Van Den Berg, O.C; Gray, B.V
    Educational change is perhaps one of the most difficult processes that teachers might experience in search of democratising their classroom practices. Being a traditional mathematics teacher who resorted to autocratic modes of teaching, I had come to realise that my mode of teaching was probably not facilitating the learning of mathematics by my pupils in the primary school . This thesis traces my attempts, via three projects, to change my style of teaching from a traditional to a more interactive and democratic mode of teaching. In an attempt to improve upon my own teaching practice I also wanted my pupils to benefit in the process. In my first project, I thus set out to improve my pupils' understanding of mathematics and to encourage them to verbalise their thoughts freely and confidently. For this purpose, in order to counteract a pupil passivity, I employed a collaborative process approach to the teaching of mathematics. In my second project I set out to learn from the failures of the first project. Project three , which was done at a different school , was largely a replication study of project two but deliberately carried out in a different setting. Wanting to democratise my classroom practice I needed to resort to a mode of research that was in line with democratic practices. I chose Action Research, which by its very nature of reflecting and acting within a collaborative process , it ends towards a democratic practice. It offers me the opportunity to do research in the class on those aspects of my classroom practice that I felt needed to be investigated. Action Research allows the teachers, together with other significant participants , to share their experiences with colleagues and in so doing to generate their own theory which will be open to scrutiny and change. In doing project three at a different school I also wanted to establish the possibity of duplicating this study via an Action Research approach in another setting. Through the process of Action Research I had undergone significant personal transfornation in that I have developed critcal thinking skills such as the ability to analyse, synthesize and not to take things for granted but to ask appropriate questions. My pupils , it seems, have also benefited from the process. The collaborative process approach which I employed towards the learning and understanding of mathematics served to empower the pupils in the classroom to voice their opinion and to substantiate their arguments. In t he process I also discovered that educational change was a painful but positive process for both participants and myself.
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    Promoting participatory teaching and learning in the senior primary classroom
    (University of the Western Cape, 1994) Abrahams, Achmat; Van den Berg, O. C.; Gray, B. V.
    Educational change is perhaps one of the most difficult processes that teachers might, experience in search of democratising their classroom practices. Being a traditional mathematics teacher who resorted to autocratic most of teaching, I had come to realise that my node of teaching was probably not facilitating the learning of mathematics by my pupils in the primary school. This thesis traces my attempts, via three projects, to change my style of teaching from a tractional to a more interactive and democratic mode of teaching. In an attempt to improve upon my own teaching practice, I also wanted my pupils to benefit it in the process. In my first project, I thus set to improve my pupils understanding of mathematics and to encourage them to verbalise their thoughts freely and confidently. For this purpose, I’d order to counteract a pupil passivity, I employed a collaborative process approach to the teaching of mathematics. In my second project f set out to learn from the failures of the first project. Project three, which was d.one at a different school, I largely a reply cation study of project two but deliberately carried. Cut in a different setting. Wanting to democratise my classroom practice I needed to resort to a mode of research that. was in line with democratic practices. I chose Action Research, which by its very nature of reflecting and acting within a collaborative process, tends towards a democratic practice. It offers me the opportunity to do research in the class on those aspects of my classroom practice that I felt, needed to be investigated. Action Research allows the teachers, together with other significant participants, to share their experiences with colleagues and in so doing to generate their own theory which will be open to scrutiny and change. In doing project three at a different school, I also wanted to establish the passivity of duplicating this study via an Action Research approach in another setting. Through the process of Action Research, I had undergone significant personal transformation in that I have civilised critical thinking skills such as the ability to analyse, synthesize and not to. take things f or granted but to ask appropriate questions. My pupils, it seems, have also benefited from the process. The collaborative process approach which I employed towards the learning and understanding of mathematics served to empower the pupils j-n the classroom to voice their opinion and to substantiate their arguments. In the process I also discovered that educational change was a painful but positive process for both participants and myself.