scholarly journals Insights provided into the decolonisation of the science curriculum, and teaching and learning of indigenous knowledge, using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. de Beer ◽  
J. Kriek
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

scholarly journals A cultural-historical activity theory focus on the holders of indigenous knowledge as self-directed learners: Lessons for education in South African schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef J. De Beer ◽  
Elsa Mentz
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Northern Cape ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

This article demonstrates by means of four examples how the holders of indigenous knowledge were and are self-directed learners. They take the initiative to diagnose their learning needs and learning goals, identify resources for learning, choose appropriate learning strategies, and evaluate the outcomes. The construct of the ethnobotanical knowledge index is used to show how people in the Northern Cape in South Africa become self-directed learners to survive. By using third-generation cultural-historical activity theory, we show the lessons this holds for the classroom, which often is characterised by teacher-centred transmission mode teaching and learning, with very little self-directed learning.

scholarly journals The inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the science classroom: A substantiation from cultural-historical activity theory

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef J. De Beer
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Science Classroom ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Basic Premise ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

This article provides a theoretical argument for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in the science classroom by using Engeström’s thirdgeneration cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as lens. The basic premise is that the learner enters the classroom with indigenous knowledge. By being sensitive to this embodied and situated cognition of the learner, the teacher may use indigenous knowledge as an effective entry point to make the abstract science curriculum more accessible and relevant to the learner. Through CHAT as a lens, various factors are identified that prevent the promotion of indigenous knowledge in the school curriculum.

scholarly journals Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a Practical Lens to Guide Classroom Action Research in the Biology Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 395-402
Author(s):  
Josef De Beer
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Reflective Practitioners ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Classroom Action Research ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity ◽  
Analyze Data

Classroom action research (CAR) represents a midpoint between teacher reflection at one end and traditional educational research at the other. CAR is a process in which a teacher identifies problems in the context of his or her own classroom and then engages in investigative methods to address the problems. Teachers sometimes shy away from CAR, due to their lack of training in research methodology, time constraints, and the fact that not all schools value or support such a scholarship of teaching and learning. I show how cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) could be used as a practical lens when engaging in CAR, and how this could help biology teachers become more reflective practitioners by using a rigorous tool to analyze data. Third-generation CHAT is explained and the reader is shown, through a practical example, how research findings could be analyzed and interpreted through a CHAT lens.

scholarly journals Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory to understand how emerging technologies can mediate teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom: a review of literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe
Keyword(s):  
Activity Theory ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Mathematics Classroom ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to review literature on the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and how it has been used to understand the mediation between emerging technologies and teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom. Specifically, it aimed at understanding the genesis of CHAT and further analyzing the studies that have employed CHAT as an analytical framework for teaching and learning in a mathematics classroom context. Two major concerns arise out of this review. Firstly, CHAT has been synonymously used with Activity Theory, leaving one wondering what actually the difference between the two in terms of researchers’ conceptualization is. Secondly, although CHAT has been widely utilized in education research, scholarly articles that have employed it as their theoretical or analytical frameworks in a mathematics classroom context are still too few and yet still, the few that have utilized it have not exploited its maximum potential. The implications for this review for teachers in Uganda are active student engagement and creation of collaboration spaces for dialogue and interaction in the teaching and learning process.

WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? COMPARING INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITY TRENDS IN ASEE AND CEEA-ACEG USING NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND REVIEW OF PROCEEDINGS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Rogalski ◽  
Eric Mikulin ◽  
Deborah Tihanyi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity Theory ◽  
Original Question ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Historical Activity ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

In 2018, we overheard many CEEA-AGEC members stating that they have "found their people"; this led us to wonder what makes this evolving community unique. Using cultural historical activity theory to view the proceedings of CEEA-ACEG 2004-2018 in comparison with the geographically and intellectually adjacent ASEE, we used both machine-driven (Natural Language Processing, NLP) and human-driven (literature review of the proceedings) methods. Here, we hoped to build on surveys—most recently by Nelson and Brennan (2018)—to understand, beyond what members say about themselves, what makes the CEEA-AGEC community distinct, where it has come from, and where it is going. Engaging in the two methods of data collection quickly diverted our focus from an analysis of the data themselves to the characteristics of the data in terms of cultural historical activity theory. Our preliminary findings point to some unique characteristics of machine- and human-driven results, with the former, as might be expected, focusing on the micro-level (words and language patterns) and the latter on the macro-level (ideas and concepts). NLP generated data within the realms of "community" and "division of labour" while the review of proceedings centred on "subject" and "object"; both found "instruments," although NLP with greater granularity. With this new understanding of the relative strengths of each method, we have a revised framework for addressing our original question.  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document