scholarly journals Community of Practice as a teaching approach in a postgraduate environment. An insider ethnography of a higher education institution in South Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 143-173
Author(s):  
Roman Tandlich

This auto-ethnographic description of the experiences in the development of the teaching and learning approach, at the postgraduate level, introduces the impact of the community of practice in the development of the learning processes in South Africa, with an international view. The principles of community of practice are outlined and the theoretical grounding is provided in terms of the notion of assemblage theory, the definitions of fundamental and derivative epistemic authority, as well as the assemblage boundary and the personal intents of the community of practice members. The theoretical grounding is then applied through several iterations of the community of practice between 2006 and present. The adaptive nature of the community of practice as an assemblage and the function as a sociology-of-knowledge system are outlined.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Jones

Purpose – This paper aims to to explore power and legitimacy in the entrepreneurship education classroom by using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological and educational theories. It highlights the pedagogic authority invested in educators and how this may be influenced by their assumptions about the nature of entrepreneurship. It questions the role of educators as disinterested experts, exploring how power and gendered legitimacy “play out” in staff–student relationships and female students’ responses to this. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple-method, qualitative case study approach is taken, concentrating on a depth of focus in one UK’s higher education institution (HEI) and on the experiences, attitudes and classroom practices of staff and students in that institution. The interviews, with an educator and two students, represent a self-contained story within the more complex story of the case study. Findings – The interviewees’ conceptualization of entrepreneurship is underpinned by acceptance of gendered norms, and both students and staff misrecognize the masculinization of entrepreneurship discourses that they encounter as natural and unquestionable. This increases our understanding of symbolic violence as a theoretical construct that can have real-world consequences. Originality/value – The paper makes a number of theoretical and empirical contributions. It addresses an important gap in the literature, as educators and the impact of their attitudes and perceptions on teaching and learning are rarely subjects of inquiry. It also addresses gaps and silences in understandings of the gendered implications of HE entrepreneurship education more generally and how students respond to the institutional arbitration of wider cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. In doing so, it challenges assertions that Bourdieu’s theories are too abstract to have any empirical value, by bridging the gap between symbolic violence as a theory and its manifestation in teaching and learning practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Cundiff ◽  
Olivia McLaughlin ◽  
Katherine Brown ◽  
Keiondra Grace

Mastery learning approaches were designed to improve student learning and elevate the level of understanding across a broader swath of students. These approaches operate under the belief that all students are capable of learning if given enough time. Little research has examined the utility or applicability of a mastery learning approach for social sciences outside of research methods courses. This study provides a review of the relevant literature on mastery learning, a discussion of the applicability of this approach to the teaching and learning of social sciences, and a review of the process and results of the conversion of more traditionally organized and taught courses to a mastery learning approach. Overall, our evaluation provides evidence that a mastery learning approach can make a significant impact on student learning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-249
Author(s):  
P. Ravi Kumar ◽  
P.A. Varghese

Media plays a vital role in educational programs, health communication and agricultural development. Without a vibrant media no society can function well. The Media plays a significant role in forming and influencing people’s attitudes and behaviour. Gone are the days of chalks and blackboard and the technological changes have brought in digital projection and interactive classrooms. In this new world of interactive media networks, traditional education technology and ignorance of new media are looked down upon. In schools and colleges some of the media are used in teaching and learning. Educational media is a systematic way of designing, carrying out and evaluating the total process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on research in human learning and communication In the present age, when scientific developments have made the human life comfortable, media education has gained much importance. Many authors and philosophers have made valuable observations about media and their utilization in schools. So, today Media is very essential tool in education institutions. Without media we can’t imagine the life of the future generation and their knowledge. In this way the present study is an effort to focus on availability of media and their utilization in education institution. In the present study researcher used the survey based on Questionnaire and Interview. Survey based on Questionnaire was used for students to get the information and Interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators of the schools. The researcher chose four schools in Bhadravathi City. The study is located in Bhadravathi Taluk of Shimoga District in Karnataka State. Two Government schools of Kannada medium and two private institutions of English medium are chosen to analyze the impact of language on education and utilizing media. The study also explain the authorities interest and teachers knowledge, weather they have a sufficient training to operate media devices, and know how to effectively link with curriculum and co-curricular activities of the school. This paper also brings out the procedural and pattern wise issues with regard to media availability and utilization in educational institutions.Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-3: 244-249 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v2i3.12824 


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Bilal Ahmad Pandow ◽  
Nihan Kutahnecioglu Inan ◽  
Ananda S.

The flipped learning approach over the years has gained importance, especially in higher educational establishments that primarily focus on more personalized learning for the students. In this context, the current study evaluates a flipped learning approach which was implemented by a higher education institution from the Middle East region as a pilot project and analyses the impact of the flipped approach on the student performance from the educators’ perspective. The study focuses on different aspects like the impact of the flipped approach on student performance in a different type of assessments, the impact of the flipped approach on academic performance, learning and development, and academic support activities. Also, this article analyses whether flipped learning reduces the plagiarism cases, impact on student attendance, student participation in extracurricular activities, impact on student’s knowledge, influence on student collaboration, effect on improvement in the ability to solve problems and impact of this approach on helping students to take the responsibility of their learning and become self-learners. This study empirically identified the learning outcomes from a flipped class and provides recommendations for the educators and higher education institutions for successful implementation of the flipped learning approach.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tererai Nhokodi ◽  
Thandiswa Nqowana ◽  
Dylan Collings ◽  
Roman Tandlich ◽  
Nikki Köhly

Abstract This article seeks to provide an outline the scope of professional teaching and learning activities and their connection to civic engagement and the achievement of environmental sustainability at Rhodes University and in Makana Local Municipality. Activities in the context of rainwater water harvesting and sanitation research are used as examples. The improved hydrogen-sulphide test kit was used as the tool for the assessment of microbial water quality between April and July 2016. An approach to the improvement in the design and modelling of the performance of ventillated improved pit latrines under laboratory conditions is also described. All activities described have been taking place in the context of undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects at Rhodes University. They have implications for teaching and learning, civic engagement and environmental sustainability. Teaching and learning of the concepts of sustainability can facilitate the development of the necessary connection between academia and the society at large. This can have a significant positive effect on societal conditions in South Africa. Further endeavours similar those described in this article should be stimulated in South and beyond.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Farezuan Zulkri ◽  
Shazlyn Milleana Shaharudin ◽  
Noor Azrin Abdul Rajak ◽  
Muhammad Safwan Ibrahim

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in December 2019 had affected the way of living for people around the world including students in educational institutions. These students had to prepare for the continuity of their study mentally and physically by adapting to the online teaching and learning approach, which can significantly impact their academic performance. Hence, this study examines the students' academic performance on the online teaching and learning approach, thus predicting their academic performance for the upcoming semester. This study enables various actions to be taken in improving and maintaining the student's performance in their study activities. The study was conducted on undergraduate students from the Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. This paper presents the prediction of the student's academic performance with a linear regression model. Evidently, the result shows that the student's academic performance continually improves while adapting to the online teaching and learning approach. It also shows that there were few respondents affected while adapting to this new norm approach. Hence, the future development of the regression model can be improved by having a more comprehensive range of Malaysian universities' data.


Author(s):  
Naziema Jappie ◽  

The COVID-19 challenge is unprecedented; its scale still is not fully understood. Universities in the South Africa do have plans in place to continue the academic year in 2021 but have no idea to what extent education will resume to normal face to face activity. Although the future is unpredictable, given the uncertainty in the epidemiological and economic outlooks, universities have to ensure quality and sustainability for the medium and long-term implications for teaching, learning, the student experience, infrastructure, operations, and staff. Amongst the range of effects that COVID-19 will have on higher education this year, and possibly into future years, admission arrangements for students is one of the biggest. It is also one of the most difficult to manage because it is inherently cross sector, involving both schools and higher education. There is no template in any country of how to manage education during the pandemic. However, there are major concerns that exist, in particular, regarding the impact on learners from low income and disadvantaged groups. Many are vulnerable and cannot access the digital platform. Post 1994, the South African government placed emphasis on the introduction of policies, resources and mechanisms aimed at redressing the legacy of a racially and ethnically fragmented, unjust, dysfunctional and unequal education system inherited from apartheid. Many gains were made over the past two decades especially, in higher education, two of which were access and funding for the disadvantaged students to attend university. However, the pandemic in 2020 disrupted this plan, causing the very same disadvantaged students to stay at home without proper learning facilities, poor living conditions or no access to devices and data. The paper argues that the tensions and challenges that dominated the Covid-19 digital educational reform have resulted in a significant paradigm shift focused on out of classroom experiences as expressed in the new ways of teaching and learning and possibly leaving certain groups of students behind. Consideration is given to three broad areas within higher education in South Africa. Firstly the current dilemma of teaching and learning, secondly, the access or lack thereof to the digital platform and challenges facing students, and the thirdly, the issue of admission to higher education. All three areas of concern represent the degree to which we face educational disruption during the pandemic.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
E. Kritzinger ◽  
K. Padayachee ◽  
M. Tolmay

The outcome of this paper is primarily to survey and analyse student interactions with electronic conferencing systems and to reflect on the impact of such a system on the students’ learning within an open distance learning context. This pilot study is articulated within action research methodology to generate critical reflection on collaborative, online environments such as electronic conferencing systems for teaching and learning. This study aims to assess the benefits and feasibility of integrating such a system within the University of South Africa’s (UNISA) current organisational structure. These results are intended to generate debate and further research within the university into possible evolution in practice within the institution that would address contemporary learning needs of students. As this was a feasibility study, a comparative study of the current tools available for electronic conferencing was warranted. The findings of this study may be used as a basis for further investigation on the challenges that might face the university if online learning were to be implemented. The success of the online conference is nevertheless significant within the context of the University of South Africa. It provides the opportunity to re-examine the current print-based delivery system, and to devise strategies and solutions to significantly increase the quality of learning within the organisation.


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