scholarly journals Strategies of Supporting Progressed Learners for Quality Teaching and Learning in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Fhulufhelo Patrick Muedi ◽  
Azwidohwi Philip Kutame ◽  
Thelma Ngidi ◽  
Chinaza Uleanya
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Support Strategies ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Vhembe District ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Quality Learning ◽  
Relevant Education

<p>Progressed learners differ from their counterparts. The difference is reflected in their assimilation, retention and abilities to reproduce what they are taught. Meanwhile, progressing learners due to policy is insufficient, certain support strategies are to be in place. Hence, the study investigated the strategies of supporting “qualified to be progressed” (QP) learners for quality learning and teaching. Mixed methods was employed for data collection. Random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select teachers and School Management Team (SMT) members respectively who formed the study sample. The study was conducted in 10 purposively selected secondary schools in the Vhembe education, Limpopo, South Africa. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 165 selected teachers who were the respondents for the quantitative part of the study. Meanwhile interviews were conducted for the 10 SMTs who formed the participants for the qualitative part of the study. Percentage was used to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were used for triangulation. The finding of the study showed amongst others that there are no specific support strategies put in place to assist progressed learners to catch up with their counterparts. The study recommends that schools and relevant education stakeholders put in place support strategies to assist progressed learners.</p>

scholarly journals Enhancing Teaching and Learning at the University of Venda Utilising Digital Mobile Devices

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Ratchel Chikurunhe ◽  
Armstrong Kadyamatimba
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Tablet Pcs ◽  
Level Of Use ◽  
The University ◽  
Quality Learning ◽  
Rural Student

The University of Venda(Univen) distributed tablets to students for facilitating and enhancing their studies. However, the provision of tablet PCs to students may not be a panacea for quality learning, especially to technological disadvantaged rural student  population. The aim of study was to investigate the use of digital mobile devices for enhancing teaching and learning at the Univen. The research questions focused on determining the current level of use of mobile devices, how they can be used effectively for teaching and learning. Mixed methods approach was applied with data being solicited from a convenient sample of students, lecturers and an IT technician. The results of the study indicated that many students and lecturers are active and have higher perceptions of mobile devices usage. The results of the study are to be used to explicate and advance the integration of the mobile devices for promoting learning and teaching accomplishments. The findings clearly showed that mobile devices have a positive impact on the academic experience. The results also indicate that there is a gradual acceptance of the Learners Management Systems (Blackboard) by both academics and students. The digital mobile devices are eventually enhancing teaching and learning at Univen.

scholarly journals Exploring Grade 6 mathematics teachers' use of the language of learning and teaching in assessment for learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sizwe B Mahlambi ◽  
Ailwei S Mawela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Assessment For Learning ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Teaching

In this study, we aimed to explore Grade 6 mathematics teachers' use of English, the language of learning and teaching in assessment for learning in selected primary schools in Alexandra Township, South Africa. From Grade 4, English is the language of teaching and learning for most learners, despite English being the home language of a minority of learners. Results of studies have shown that in South Africa, in Grades 1 to 3, in which learners are taught using their home-language performance appears to be better than in Grades 4 to 6 where English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) is used for teaching and learning. Guided by qualitative case study design, we used semi-structured interviews and non-participatory observation to collect data from nine purposefully sampled Grade 6 mathematics teachers. In conjunction with the literature reviewed and the theory underpinning the study, we used themes to analyse, interpret, and discuss the data we collected. This research revealed that learners in Grade 6 struggle to understand English as the language of learning and teaching, so, to augment concept development and understanding, teachers and learners use code-switching. In the classrooms observed, this practice has become the norm to improve the performance of learners with limited language proficiency. However, because of the differences between the home language of learners and that of teachers in mathematics classrooms, code-switching is often not enough to ensure understanding.

scholarly journals Examining Technology Acceptance in Learning and Teaching at a Historically Disadvantaged University in South Africa through the Technology Acceptance Model

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Clever Ndebele ◽  
Munienge Mbodila
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Acceptance Model ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
Acceptance Model

The exponential growth in the use of technology for learning and teaching in the higher education sector has imposed pressure on academics to embrace technology in their teaching. The present study sought to examine factors underlying technology acceptance in learning and teaching at a historically disadvantaged university in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Premised on the mixed methods approach and undergirded by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), both a pre-coded and an open-ended questionnaire were used to collect data. Data from the pre-coded questionnaire were analysed through the descriptive statistical approach. The qualitative data from the open-ended questionnaire were analysed through content analysis. The study found that most academic staff believe and see the value that ICTs bring in their teaching and learning practices. In addition, they are aware that technology use in education improves learning and teaching, and they are willing to embrace the use of technology to improve their practices. Based on the findings, we recommend intensification of lecturer training in the use of technology for teaching and learning to enable them to embrace it in their teaching practice. Furthermore, the institution needs to put in place support systems for academic staff to empower them to have continuous access to devices and internet connection for technology integration in teaching and learning. We recommend establishment of e-learning communities of practise in the university that will allow lecturers to assist each other as well as share best practices in the use of technology for teaching and learning.

Renaming University Teaching and Learning Facilities in South Africa: towards the Africanisation of Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-143
Author(s):  
C. Rwodzi ◽  
◽  
K.L. Mphela ◽  
M.J. Mogoboya
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
University Management ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Higher Education Transformation

In South Africa, students and lecturers have been asking university management and government to rename teaching and learning facilities in line with the higher education transformation agenda. Strikes, demonstrations and debates regarding the decolonisation and Africanisation of higher education have been used as ways to communicate the need to fast-track the renaming process. Renaming lecture rooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, sports facilities, halls of residence, campus roads and other facilities help to embrace African culture, values and beliefs. This paper explores Africanisation by renaming of teaching and learning facilities. To understand Africanisation, a qualitative study was conducted using semi–structured interviews and observation of university facilities to understand the process of renaming. Selected naming committees, student representative members and lecturers participated by giving their views on the renaming of teaching and learning facilities. Findings from this study revealed that facilities with African names embrace African identity, ownership and brings peace and a sense of belonging to the learning and teaching environment.

Transformational Leadership: Lessons from Ramosilei’s Leadership Study in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mavhungu Elias Musitha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Leadership Study ◽  
Vhembe District

Educators are faced with classroom problems in South African schools which force them to quit as they cannot find solutions to them. This study investigated whether there were lessons to be learned from a successful study by a retired school teacher in the former Venda in Limpopo Province of South Africa. A qualitative approach was adopted to explain and describe the study. Data was obtained from both primary sources such as speeches where the researcher took down notes during the interview proceedings and also from secondary data extracted from literature. From the notes taken by the researcher, information was collated and analysed to answer the research questions. This study has revealed that learning and teaching should be integrated in the classroom and the teacher should provide leadership all the time and understand that learners are not small adults but children who need an adult to take them by the hand and guide them towards adulthood. This study recommends that the lessons from Ramosilei should be shared with other schools. It also proposes that schools could succeed if they establish stakeholder relationships with the management and administration of schools.

scholarly journals Benchmarking with the BLASST Sessional Staff Standards Framework

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-101
Author(s):  
Karina Luzia ◽  
◽  
Marina Harvey ◽  
Nicola Parker ◽  
Coralie McCormack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Quality Teaching ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Administrative Policy ◽  
Quality Learning

Benchmarking as a type of knowledge-sharing around good practice within and between institutions is increasingly common in the higher education sector. More recently, benchmarking as a process that can contribute to quality enhancement has been deployed across numerous institutions with a view to systematising frameworks to assure and enhance the quality of higher education. However, to date, sessional staff who are the majority of teachers in higher education, have been mostly excluded from or invisible in this process, both within individual institutions and across the sector. To ameliorate the effects of this exclusion and to acknowledge the contribution made to quality teaching by sessional staff, the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded BLASST project is establishing a national sessional staff standards framework which sets in place standards to evaluate and support the quality of performance and outcomes in learning and teaching, and in management and administrative policy, procedure, and practices affecting sessional teachers in higher education. In this paper, we present four case studies of benchmarking across four Australian universities that piloted the sessional staff standards framework in order to enhance and support quality learning and teaching by sessional staff. We discuss some of the strengths and limitations of this approach to supporting sessional staff and show how the benchmarking process facilitates active engagement for and particularly by sessional staff in enhancing quality teaching and learning.

scholarly journals Mitigating the Implications of Covid‐19 on the Academic Project at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa: A Proposed Framework for Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-60
Author(s):  
Rushiella N. Songca ◽  
Clever Ndebele ◽  
Munienge Mbodila
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Mode ◽  
The Way

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa, like other universities worldwide, is faced with the challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid‑19 pandemic. The challenge has changed our day-to-day lives, including the way we interact and conduct business. In the midst of this, WSU has had to change the way learning and teaching occurs. Traditional face-to-face tuition had to be adapted by moving to the online mode of teaching and learning to both minimise the time lost in the academic project and protect staff and students from the devastating effects of the virus. This article reflects the actions taken by the University and describes its pilot-project approach to online learning and those processes it has put in place to ensure its effective implementation. While it is accepted that switching to an online mode of teaching and learning can facilitate flexibility in space and time, the reality is that the majority of students at WSU – mainly due to their geographical and socio-economic environments – experience daily challenges ranging from poor network coverage, lack of internet connectivity, lack of electricity and other socio-economic impediments that make online learning stressful or beyond their reach. In this article, we present a model that could be used by higher education institutions (HEIs) to respond to Covid‑19 in the short term. The proposed model is underpinned by a framework that caters for students who are readily able to access online learning, students with intermittent access to online facilities and finally, students who cannot access online education. First, we provide a brief description of online learning, highlighting the challenges presented to teaching and learning by this approach. We argue that our context and education policies present additional problems that militate against the adoption of online strategies by most HEIs. In the final instance, we present a framework that is better suited to our context and can be used during and after the lockdown. Data were collected using online questionnaires with both structured and openended questions from both lecturers and students to determine their experiences with the testing project. Lastly, we draw conclusions based on the findings of the study.

Cranial crassicaudiasis in two coastal dolphin species from South Africa is predominantly a disease of immature individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
MF Van Bressem ◽  
P Duignan ◽  
JA Raga ◽  
K Van Waerebeek ◽  
N Fraijia-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Bone Development ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Fatal Outcome ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Cape Coast ◽  
Osteolytic Lesions ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference

Crassicauda spp. (Nematoda) infest the cranial sinuses of several odontocetes, causing diagnostic trabecular osteolytic lesions. We examined skulls of 77 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins Sousa plumbea and 69 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins Tursiops aduncus, caught in bather-protecting nets off KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from 1970-2017, and skulls of 6 S. plumbea stranded along the southern Cape coast in South Africa from 1963-2002. Prevalence of cranial crassicaudiasis was evaluated according to sex and cranial maturity. Overall, prevalence in S. plumbea and T. aduncus taken off KZN was 13 and 31.9%, respectively. Parasitosis variably affected 1 or more cranial bones (frontal, pterygoid, maxillary and sphenoid). No significant difference was found by gender for either species, allowing sexes to be pooled. However, there was a significant difference in lesion prevalence by age, with immature T. aduncus 4.6 times more likely affected than adults, while for S. plumbea, the difference was 6.5-fold. As severe osteolytic lesions are unlikely to heal without trace, we propose that infection is more likely to have a fatal outcome for immature dolphins, possibly because of incomplete bone development, lower immune competence in clearing parasites or an over-exuberant inflammatory response in concert with parasitic enzymatic erosion. Cranial osteolysis was not observed in mature males (18 S. plumbea, 21 T. aduncus), suggesting potential cohort-linked immune-mediated resistance to infestation. Crassicauda spp. may play a role in the natural mortality of S. plumbea and T. aduncus, but the pathogenesis and population level impact remain unknown.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document