Natural sciences teachers’ experiences on teaching planet earth and beyond knowledge strand

Tebogo E Nkanyanı; Awelani V Mudau

doi:10.36681/

Authors

Tebogo E Nkanyanı
Awelani V Mudau

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36681/

Keywords:

Teacher knowledge, natural sciences, instructional strategies, classroom discourse and interactions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the teaching of senior phase of Natural Sciences with a focus on the Planet Earth and beyond knowledge strand. A qualitative case study design was used. Semi-structured interviews and observations were employed to collect data from two purposefully chosen teachers. The results of the study showed that some Natural Sciences teachers might lack the appropriate subject matter knowledge for the planet Earth and beyond knowledge strand for meaningful teaching. Moreover, teachers indicated poor knowledge of the context in specific aims and assessment strategies and chose poor and irrelevant instructional strategies. Furthermore, the teachers saw themselves as the authority figure in class and hence applied a dominantly teacher-centered approach. Therefore, it is recommended that there is a need to refocus on the in-service teacher training to improve teachers‟ subject matter knowledge as well as pedagogic content knowledge. The authors also recommend a large-scale study on the same strand.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Arends, R. I. (2012). Learning to Teach. Singapore: McGraw-Hill International Edition.

Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to Research in Education (8th ed.). Belmont : Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Aslan, S. (2017). The Effect of learning by teaching on pre-service science teachers‟ attitudes towards chemistry. Journal of Turkish Science Education. 14(3), 1-15.

Bantwini, B. D., & Feza, N. N. (2017). Left behind in a democratic society: a case of some farm school primary school teachers of natural science in South Africa. International Journal of Leadership in Education. 20(3), 312-327. doi:

1080/13603124.2015.1124927

Belik, T. & Yarden, A. (2016). Promoting the asking of research questions in a high- school biotechnology inquiry-oriented program. International Journal of STEM Education. 3(15), 1-13.

Bennett, C.I. (2007). Comprehensive Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice (6th edition). Boston: Pearson.

Çepni, S., Ülger B, B & Ormanci, Ü. (2017) Pre-service science teachers' views towards the process of associating science concepts with everyday life. Journal of Turkish Science Education. 14(4), 1-15

Christensen, H.R. & Rasmussen, A. (2017). Writing to learn in the Natural Sciences: Does Source Material Matter? Journal of College Science Teaching,47(1), 57-65.

Conklin, W. (2007). Instructional Strategies for Diverse Learners. Huntington Beach: Shell Education.

Creswell, J.W. (2014). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage.

Criticos, C., Grosser M., De Jager, L., Long, L., Mays, T., Moletsane, R. & Mtiyane, N. (2012). Getting practical: A guide to teaching and learning. Cape Town: Oxford. Çimer,

A. (2007). Effective teaching in science: A review of literature. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 4(1), 20-44

Department of Basic Education (DBE). (2009). Report of the Task Team for the Review of the Implementation of the National Curriculum Statement. Pretoria, South Africa.

Department of Basic Education (DBE). (2011a). Curriculum And Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). Natural Sciences Grades 7,8,9. Pretoria, South Africa.

Department of Basic Education (DBE). (2011b). Curriculum And Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). Geography Grades 10-12. Pretoria, South Africa.

Department of Education (DoE). (1997). Curriculum 2005: Lifelong learning for the 21st century. Pretoria, South Africa.

Department of Education (DoE). (2000). South African Curriculum for the Twenty First Century Report of the review committee on Curriculum 2005. Pretoria, South Africa.

Department of Education (DoE). (2003). Revised National Curriculum Statement. Foundation Phase Grade R to 3. Western Cape: South Africa.

Doolittle, P.E. & Hicks, D. (2003). Constructivism as a Theoretical Foundation for the Use of Technology in Social Studies. Theory and Research in Social Education, 1(31),72-104.

Geelan, D. (2003). Video Analysis of Physics Teachers’ Explanatory frameworks. University of Alberta, Canada.

Graesser, A.C., Gernsbacher, M.A. & Goldman, S.R. (Eds). (2003). Handbook of Discourse Processes. [online] Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers: London.

Halai, N. and Khan, M.A. (2011). Developing pedagogical content knowledge of science teachers through action research: A case study from Pakistan. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 12(1), 1-24.

Hopper, S.B. (2014). Bringing the World to the Classroom through Videoconferencing and Project-based Learning. TechTrends, 58(3), 78-88.

Human Research Council (HSRC). (2009). Investigating Teachers`understanding of the principles and values of the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS): A case Study of two Township schools in Gauteng. Pretoria, South Africa.

Kaddoura, M.A. (2011). Critical Thinking Skills of Nursing Students in Lecture-Based Teaching and Case-Based Learning. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 5(2),1 – 9.

Messa, J.C., Pringle, R.M. and King, N. (2014). Surfacing Students` Prior Knowledge in Middle School Science Classroom. Middle Grades Research Journal, 9(3), 61-72.

Mudau, A.V. (2016). The classroom practice diagnostic framework: A framework to diagnose teaching difficulties of a science topic. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 12(11), 2797-2815. doi: 10.12937/Eurasia.2016.02305a

Ramatlapana, K. & Makonye J.P. (2012). From too much freedom to too much restriction: The case of teacher autonomy from the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) to Curriculum and Assessment Policy statement (CAPS). African Education Review, 9(1): S7 – S25.

Rankhumise, M.P. A Comparison of Teachers‟ and Students‟ Perceptions of the Factors Contributing to Poor Performance in Physical Sciences: A case of South Africa. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 15(4), 93-103

Rohaan, E.J., Taconis, R. & Jochems, W.M.G. (2010). Reviewing the relations between teachers‟ knowledge and pupils‟ attitude in the field of primary technology education, 15–26. Int J Technol Des Educ, 20, 15-26. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-008-9055-7

Scott, P.H., Mortimer, E.F. and Aguiar, O.G. (2006). The Tension Between Authoritative and Dialogical Discourse: A fundamental Characteristics of Meaning Making Interactions in High School Science Lessons. Wiley Periodicals,Inc. Sci Ed, 90, 605-631.

Umalusi. (2015). Quality Assurance of the 2015 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations. Pretoria, South Africa.