A critical review of some of Roald Dahl's books for children, with particular reference to a 'subversive' element in his writing, some responses to his work and its place in the education of the child
- Authors: Van Renen, Charles Gerard
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Dahl, Roald -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1486 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003367
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Van Renen, Charles Gerard
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Dahl, Roald -- Criticism and interpretation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1486 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003367
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
A preliminary investigation into the use of computers in the teaching of mathematics
- Van Hille, Gilles Ernst Willem
- Authors: Van Hille, Gilles Ernst Willem
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Data processing Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004382
- Description: Like many South African high school mathematics teachers I have followed the development of computers with interest and I have tried wherever possible to gain some experience on them. Thus when microcomputers became more readily available the mathematics department at our school, Graeme College in Grahamstown, motivated for the school to acquire this powerful new tool. The eventual outcome was that the Old Boys' Association donated to the school 3 BBC B microcomputers with monitors, a disc drive, a printer and two tape recorders. These have now been in the school for three years. The acquisition prompted this research project which takes the following form:- 1) An investigation into some of the uses of microcomputers in schools and, in particular, in the mathematics classroom. 2) A statement on the present position adopted by the Cape Education Department on the use of computers in schools. 3) A study of what the experience has been in other countries, particularly in Britain and the United States of America. 4) A description of an investigation which was undertaken at our school using the method of Action Research and Triangulation. Its aim was to investigate the feasibility of using a microcomputer to aid in the teaching of mathematics and the reaction of the pupils to this innovation. Three different approaches were implemented. a) The algorithmic approach: In this investigation a class of standard eight pupils were required, with the help of the teacher, to write, enter and test a short computer program which would solve any pair of simultaneous linear equations of the form, ax + by = c. Their reaction to this form of instruction was noted by myself and a non-participant observer. The pupils themselves were also asked to express their reactions, both verbally and by filling in a prepared questionnaire. Examples of worksheets, exam questions and analysed questionnaires are given in the appendix. Short programs which examine various other mathematical concepts are also listed and discussed. b) The audio-visual approach: In this case use was made of a graphs software package in which the computer would draw either a straight line, circle, parabola or hyperbola when the appropriate variables were entered. This package also includes a graph game facility where participants are required to find the equation of the graph which will pass through three given points. Points are awarded if the correct type of graph is chosen and the variables are entered within a certain time interval. The pupils involved in this investigation were standard eight higher grade mathematics pupils and their reaction to this form of instruction was again noted using the methods described in (a) above. c) Computer Aided Instruction: Here I was most fortunate to be able to make use of the Rhodes University PLATO Centre. This allowed me to take a class of eighteen standard eight higher grade mathematics pupils to the Centre. Here during four sessions, each of just over an hour, the pupils interacted with the software on the computer terminal. The software used was a set of five lessons written by Barbara Lederman of the Community College Maths Group, of the University of Illinois in 1976. The lessons give instruction and require the pupils to transform, plot and draw the graphs of linear equations of the form, ax + by + c = 0, x = c and y = b. They are also taught and required to find the equations of given straight lines. Their reactions to this form of instruction are discussed after each session. 5) In conclusion some thoughts are given on how computers can best be utilised in the school situation, with particular reference to the teaching of mathematics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Van Hille, Gilles Ernst Willem
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Computer-assisted instruction Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Data processing Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004382
- Description: Like many South African high school mathematics teachers I have followed the development of computers with interest and I have tried wherever possible to gain some experience on them. Thus when microcomputers became more readily available the mathematics department at our school, Graeme College in Grahamstown, motivated for the school to acquire this powerful new tool. The eventual outcome was that the Old Boys' Association donated to the school 3 BBC B microcomputers with monitors, a disc drive, a printer and two tape recorders. These have now been in the school for three years. The acquisition prompted this research project which takes the following form:- 1) An investigation into some of the uses of microcomputers in schools and, in particular, in the mathematics classroom. 2) A statement on the present position adopted by the Cape Education Department on the use of computers in schools. 3) A study of what the experience has been in other countries, particularly in Britain and the United States of America. 4) A description of an investigation which was undertaken at our school using the method of Action Research and Triangulation. Its aim was to investigate the feasibility of using a microcomputer to aid in the teaching of mathematics and the reaction of the pupils to this innovation. Three different approaches were implemented. a) The algorithmic approach: In this investigation a class of standard eight pupils were required, with the help of the teacher, to write, enter and test a short computer program which would solve any pair of simultaneous linear equations of the form, ax + by = c. Their reaction to this form of instruction was noted by myself and a non-participant observer. The pupils themselves were also asked to express their reactions, both verbally and by filling in a prepared questionnaire. Examples of worksheets, exam questions and analysed questionnaires are given in the appendix. Short programs which examine various other mathematical concepts are also listed and discussed. b) The audio-visual approach: In this case use was made of a graphs software package in which the computer would draw either a straight line, circle, parabola or hyperbola when the appropriate variables were entered. This package also includes a graph game facility where participants are required to find the equation of the graph which will pass through three given points. Points are awarded if the correct type of graph is chosen and the variables are entered within a certain time interval. The pupils involved in this investigation were standard eight higher grade mathematics pupils and their reaction to this form of instruction was again noted using the methods described in (a) above. c) Computer Aided Instruction: Here I was most fortunate to be able to make use of the Rhodes University PLATO Centre. This allowed me to take a class of eighteen standard eight higher grade mathematics pupils to the Centre. Here during four sessions, each of just over an hour, the pupils interacted with the software on the computer terminal. The software used was a set of five lessons written by Barbara Lederman of the Community College Maths Group, of the University of Illinois in 1976. The lessons give instruction and require the pupils to transform, plot and draw the graphs of linear equations of the form, ax + by + c = 0, x = c and y = b. They are also taught and required to find the equations of given straight lines. Their reactions to this form of instruction are discussed after each session. 5) In conclusion some thoughts are given on how computers can best be utilised in the school situation, with particular reference to the teaching of mathematics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
An investigation into the possible causes of the difference between the boys' and girls' drop-out rate in mathematics at the end of the junior secondary phase of education
- Authors: Oberholster, E J
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Mathematical ability , Gender , Mathematics teaching , Drop-out rate , Junior secondary
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1351 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001417
- Description: In the past two decades much research in the field of Mathematics in Education has dealt with boy- girl differences. In the 1960's sex differences in mathematical achievement played an important role in research. The results of more recent and better controlled studies seem to indicate that overall boy-girl differences in mathematical achievement are probably negligible at the Primary stage and exist at the Secondary stage principally in areas involving spatial visualization and problem solving.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Oberholster, E J
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Mathematical ability , Gender , Mathematics teaching , Drop-out rate , Junior secondary
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1351 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001417
- Description: In the past two decades much research in the field of Mathematics in Education has dealt with boy- girl differences. In the 1960's sex differences in mathematical achievement played an important role in research. The results of more recent and better controlled studies seem to indicate that overall boy-girl differences in mathematical achievement are probably negligible at the Primary stage and exist at the Secondary stage principally in areas involving spatial visualization and problem solving.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
An investigation into the present system of orientation for pupils entering high school under the jurisdiction of the Cape Education Department, leading to an orientation programme
- Heath, John Lionel Potgieter
- Authors: Heath, John Lionel Potgieter
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- South Africa Educational change -- South Africa Education and state -- South Africa Educational law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004769
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Heath, John Lionel Potgieter
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- South Africa Educational change -- South Africa Education and state -- South Africa Educational law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1870 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004769
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
An investigation into the role of attitudes towards mathematics as a motivation for choosing vocational-technical secondary education
- Authors: Venter, Petrus Albertus
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: School children -- South Africa -- East London -- Attitudes Technical education -- South Africa -- East London Mathematical ability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1831 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003813
- Description: From Introduction: As headmaster of a technical high school it is my responsibility to admit standard six pupils to this school. Often the refrain from parents is heard: "My son is weak in mathematics but good with his hands." These parents desperately seek a secondary education for their non-academic children. To what extent has the vicious circle of low achievement - negative attitude - lower achievement - despair already been established in these pupils as far as mathematics is concerned? How does this low self-concept in mathematics ability serve as a factor in deciding upon which career to follow, which type of high school to attend? Parents and the public at large seem to be ill-informed about the subjects offered at technical high schools. The mathematical character of these schools is especially undervalued. People often seem to think that the mathematics at a technical high school is easier than at other high schools. Furthermore, people do not realize that mathematics forms the cornerstone of any technical field of study. Failure in mathematics will inevitably lead to low marks or failure in technical subjects. It seems that many pupils who have already developed a defeatist attitude towards mathematics, seek entry into this type of high school. If so, then why? This study aims to elucidate the mathematical cognitive demands made by mathematically related subjects in a technical high school. At the same time possible relationships will be investigated between choice of type of high school (technical vs non-technical) and : i) attitudes to mathematics; ii) achievement in mathematics; iii) general academic achievement; iv) attitude to school. Pupils at standard five level have already established their attitudes towards subjects. For this study standard five boys from East London English and Afrikaans-speaking primary schools were involved. The reason why girls were not considered was to eliminate the variables of sex-related behaviours. Also, girls do not report in any large numbers for technical education as yet. The results of this study should be of use to those advising standard five pupils on their choice of type of high school. If satisfactory relationships are found between affective-cognitive variables and choice of high school, future researchers may use this towards the construction of a required profile for prospective pupils of technical high schools. There are of course, many other factors in the issue. Variables like social status, parents' own experiences, vested interests of academic high schools and many more are not considered in this study. It is conceded that any in-depth study into attitudes towards mathematics or into choice of type of high school is a many-faceted problem, the scope of which lies beyond this thesis. Suffice to admit that attitudes are complex dispositions resulting from the interactions between a number of affective, cognitive and psychomotor variables.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Venter, Petrus Albertus
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: School children -- South Africa -- East London -- Attitudes Technical education -- South Africa -- East London Mathematical ability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1831 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003813
- Description: From Introduction: As headmaster of a technical high school it is my responsibility to admit standard six pupils to this school. Often the refrain from parents is heard: "My son is weak in mathematics but good with his hands." These parents desperately seek a secondary education for their non-academic children. To what extent has the vicious circle of low achievement - negative attitude - lower achievement - despair already been established in these pupils as far as mathematics is concerned? How does this low self-concept in mathematics ability serve as a factor in deciding upon which career to follow, which type of high school to attend? Parents and the public at large seem to be ill-informed about the subjects offered at technical high schools. The mathematical character of these schools is especially undervalued. People often seem to think that the mathematics at a technical high school is easier than at other high schools. Furthermore, people do not realize that mathematics forms the cornerstone of any technical field of study. Failure in mathematics will inevitably lead to low marks or failure in technical subjects. It seems that many pupils who have already developed a defeatist attitude towards mathematics, seek entry into this type of high school. If so, then why? This study aims to elucidate the mathematical cognitive demands made by mathematically related subjects in a technical high school. At the same time possible relationships will be investigated between choice of type of high school (technical vs non-technical) and : i) attitudes to mathematics; ii) achievement in mathematics; iii) general academic achievement; iv) attitude to school. Pupils at standard five level have already established their attitudes towards subjects. For this study standard five boys from East London English and Afrikaans-speaking primary schools were involved. The reason why girls were not considered was to eliminate the variables of sex-related behaviours. Also, girls do not report in any large numbers for technical education as yet. The results of this study should be of use to those advising standard five pupils on their choice of type of high school. If satisfactory relationships are found between affective-cognitive variables and choice of high school, future researchers may use this towards the construction of a required profile for prospective pupils of technical high schools. There are of course, many other factors in the issue. Variables like social status, parents' own experiences, vested interests of academic high schools and many more are not considered in this study. It is conceded that any in-depth study into attitudes towards mathematics or into choice of type of high school is a many-faceted problem, the scope of which lies beyond this thesis. Suffice to admit that attitudes are complex dispositions resulting from the interactions between a number of affective, cognitive and psychomotor variables.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Attempts to improve the teaching of English by Black teachers in selected areas of the Eastern Cape and the Transkei, through educational workshops and resource materials
- Authors: Ziskovsky, Lorraine
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers Education -- South Africa Teaching -- Aids and devices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1410 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003060
- Description: This action research study covers the period November 1983 to August 1985, and is an ethnographic account of what started as a small-scale attempt to assist black teachers of English at the Standard 6, 7 and 8 level, in Grahamstown. During this period, the writer was employed by the South African Council for Higher Education's Grahamstown branch as a part- time English tutor of black and coloured teachers engaged in private study for the Joint Matriculation Board and UNISA. It was under Sached's aegis that the project started, with the writer holding the belief that poor matriculation examination results obtained by blacks were at least partially caused by poor English language communication skills. It was hoped that assistance to black teachers of English as a second language (ESL) at the chosen level (Standards 6, 7 and 8) would be of some help in freeing black students from the necessity of having to achieve academically and linguistically at the same time, in Standards 9 and 10.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Ziskovsky, Lorraine
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Foreign speakers Education -- South Africa Teaching -- Aids and devices
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1410 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003060
- Description: This action research study covers the period November 1983 to August 1985, and is an ethnographic account of what started as a small-scale attempt to assist black teachers of English at the Standard 6, 7 and 8 level, in Grahamstown. During this period, the writer was employed by the South African Council for Higher Education's Grahamstown branch as a part- time English tutor of black and coloured teachers engaged in private study for the Joint Matriculation Board and UNISA. It was under Sached's aegis that the project started, with the writer holding the belief that poor matriculation examination results obtained by blacks were at least partially caused by poor English language communication skills. It was hoped that assistance to black teachers of English as a second language (ESL) at the chosen level (Standards 6, 7 and 8) would be of some help in freeing black students from the necessity of having to achieve academically and linguistically at the same time, in Standards 9 and 10.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Conceptual difficulties in children's understanding of secondary school algebra in standards 6, 7, and 8 : (the application of the CSMS algebra test to a sample of South African school children)
- Authors: McMaster, David Jocelyn
- Date: 1986
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1355 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001421
- Description: The application of mathematical ways of thinking to nearly all the major fields of knowledge in recent times has increased the value of mathematics in society ... schools, therefore, are increasingly confronted with the task of developing to the maximum the mathematical abilities and interests of all its pupils with the view of meeting the needs of society. This includes an appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic and abstract qualities of mathematics as well as a knowledge of its utilitarian value in society. The question arises whether schools are achieving this? (Chapter 1, p. 3)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: McMaster, David Jocelyn
- Date: 1986
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1355 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001421
- Description: The application of mathematical ways of thinking to nearly all the major fields of knowledge in recent times has increased the value of mathematics in society ... schools, therefore, are increasingly confronted with the task of developing to the maximum the mathematical abilities and interests of all its pupils with the view of meeting the needs of society. This includes an appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic and abstract qualities of mathematics as well as a knowledge of its utilitarian value in society. The question arises whether schools are achieving this? (Chapter 1, p. 3)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Graphicacy and the third dimension: an investigation into the problem of poor performance in relief mapwork in South African secondary schools
- Burton, Michael St. John Whitehead
- Authors: Burton, Michael St. John Whitehead
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Graphicacy , Maps , Map reading , Visualisation , Geography , Secondary education , South Africa , Pupils , Learners , Teachers
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1358 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001424
- Description: Three-dimensional graphicacy is the part of map work that appears to be the most problematIcal. Bartz (1970) says that thinking and visualising in three-dimensional space is difficult enough, but trying to derive notions in three-dimensions, when you have only seen them as they are represented in distorted two-dimensional fashion, is even more difficult. Yet pupils of geography are required to learn such three-dimensional concepts from the two-dimensional distorted map presentations. The geography teacher has an important educational role to play in promoting graphicacy and Balchin (1965), who coined the term, felt that it should be an essential underpinning of an integrated education. The problem is that children perform badly, teachers are not successfully imparting three-dimensional graphicacy skills and as Board and Taylor (1977) indicate, for some time now it has been fashionable to dismiss maps as being irrelevant or useless in geographical research. This thesis attempts to analyse this reported malady, the problems are exposed and solutions offered. Investigation of the literature, with the aim of clarifying the problems involved, follows four leads. These are the part played by the map as a mode of communication, the physical processes involved in mapwork revealed by work in the realm of neurophysiology, the process of visualisation in the field of perception and psychology, and finally the stage of conceptual development of the mapworker. The state of affairs in South Africa is disclosed by an analysis of teacher-directed literature, of examination syllabuses, of text-book treatment of three-dimensional mapwork in South Africa and overseas, of past examination questions, and finally of teachers' views. Experimental exercises have been executed in an attempt to link the key findings of published research to the local scene. Conclusions are then drawn, and recommendations made for improving three-dimensional graphicacy in South African secondary schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Burton, Michael St. John Whitehead
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Graphicacy , Maps , Map reading , Visualisation , Geography , Secondary education , South Africa , Pupils , Learners , Teachers
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1358 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001424
- Description: Three-dimensional graphicacy is the part of map work that appears to be the most problematIcal. Bartz (1970) says that thinking and visualising in three-dimensional space is difficult enough, but trying to derive notions in three-dimensions, when you have only seen them as they are represented in distorted two-dimensional fashion, is even more difficult. Yet pupils of geography are required to learn such three-dimensional concepts from the two-dimensional distorted map presentations. The geography teacher has an important educational role to play in promoting graphicacy and Balchin (1965), who coined the term, felt that it should be an essential underpinning of an integrated education. The problem is that children perform badly, teachers are not successfully imparting three-dimensional graphicacy skills and as Board and Taylor (1977) indicate, for some time now it has been fashionable to dismiss maps as being irrelevant or useless in geographical research. This thesis attempts to analyse this reported malady, the problems are exposed and solutions offered. Investigation of the literature, with the aim of clarifying the problems involved, follows four leads. These are the part played by the map as a mode of communication, the physical processes involved in mapwork revealed by work in the realm of neurophysiology, the process of visualisation in the field of perception and psychology, and finally the stage of conceptual development of the mapworker. The state of affairs in South Africa is disclosed by an analysis of teacher-directed literature, of examination syllabuses, of text-book treatment of three-dimensional mapwork in South Africa and overseas, of past examination questions, and finally of teachers' views. Experimental exercises have been executed in an attempt to link the key findings of published research to the local scene. Conclusions are then drawn, and recommendations made for improving three-dimensional graphicacy in South African secondary schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Pilot study for a language experience project across the curriculum at the Cape College of Education
- Authors: Van Zyl, Alfred Edward
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Curriculum planning Teachers -- Training of Language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1832 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003914
- Description: From Introduction: The intention of this thesis is not the legitimising of a language across the curriculum project, but will rather attempt to illustrate that a language experience project across the curriculum is essential at the Cape College of Education. The Cape College of Education is currently the only black teacher training college in the Cape Province. This young college, which opened in 1981, is situated on the outskirts of Fort Beaufort and fills the vacuum left by the closure of Lovedale College. Students are drawn from the black population of the Cape Province, which is almost exclusively Xhosa-speaking. There is an equal mixture of male and female students and a similar number of students from both rural and urban environments. The ages of 1st-year students range from 18 years to 44 years, with a predominance of 25 - 27 year olds. All students are in full residence. The College offers 3-year courses leading to diplomas in Primary and Secondary school teaching. In the ensuing sections an attempt will be made to show why a language across the curriculum (LAC) project is recommended for the Cape College of Education and what form it should take. However, as a 'cross curriculum' project has never been officially attempted amongst the Xhosa, very little 'proven' material and empirical evidence exists. Consequently, this discourse may at times appear to lean rather heavily on the support of 'what has happened in England'. To overcome this shortcoming, the opinions of the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTIC), which consists of a number of very active and involved black, English teachers, was consulted. The paper delivered by this group of teachers at the 1982 Conference of the Institute of English in Africa, in Grahamstown, provides much support for the arguments presented in this thesis. Extensive use has been made of it to reveal the nature of the situation against which the language department at the Cape College of Education (henceforth referred to as CCE) is attempting to successfully teach English to students who are aspiring to eventually teach through the medium of English themselves. Copious use of quotations has been made in this presentation in an attempt to support many of the 'unmeasurable' arguments presented. This has been necessary as very little substantiated data relating to the matters under discussion exist at this stage. For example, "The claim that exposure to literature enhances English language competence has not, to our knowledge, been tested, nor have the categories of a new linguistic knowledge been defined." (Institute of English in Africa Paper, 1982)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
Pilot study for a language experience project across the curriculum at the Cape College of Education
- Authors: Van Zyl, Alfred Edward
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Curriculum planning Teachers -- Training of Language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1832 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003914
- Description: From Introduction: The intention of this thesis is not the legitimising of a language across the curriculum project, but will rather attempt to illustrate that a language experience project across the curriculum is essential at the Cape College of Education. The Cape College of Education is currently the only black teacher training college in the Cape Province. This young college, which opened in 1981, is situated on the outskirts of Fort Beaufort and fills the vacuum left by the closure of Lovedale College. Students are drawn from the black population of the Cape Province, which is almost exclusively Xhosa-speaking. There is an equal mixture of male and female students and a similar number of students from both rural and urban environments. The ages of 1st-year students range from 18 years to 44 years, with a predominance of 25 - 27 year olds. All students are in full residence. The College offers 3-year courses leading to diplomas in Primary and Secondary school teaching. In the ensuing sections an attempt will be made to show why a language across the curriculum (LAC) project is recommended for the Cape College of Education and what form it should take. However, as a 'cross curriculum' project has never been officially attempted amongst the Xhosa, very little 'proven' material and empirical evidence exists. Consequently, this discourse may at times appear to lean rather heavily on the support of 'what has happened in England'. To overcome this shortcoming, the opinions of the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTIC), which consists of a number of very active and involved black, English teachers, was consulted. The paper delivered by this group of teachers at the 1982 Conference of the Institute of English in Africa, in Grahamstown, provides much support for the arguments presented in this thesis. Extensive use has been made of it to reveal the nature of the situation against which the language department at the Cape College of Education (henceforth referred to as CCE) is attempting to successfully teach English to students who are aspiring to eventually teach through the medium of English themselves. Copious use of quotations has been made in this presentation in an attempt to support many of the 'unmeasurable' arguments presented. This has been necessary as very little substantiated data relating to the matters under discussion exist at this stage. For example, "The claim that exposure to literature enhances English language competence has not, to our knowledge, been tested, nor have the categories of a new linguistic knowledge been defined." (Institute of English in Africa Paper, 1982)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
The "About to teach" course: an introductory orientation course for secondary teachers in training: an evaluation of student assessments
- Authors: Coughlan, Niall Sean
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape High school teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1910 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007057
- Description: This piece of research is an attempt to evaluate the assessments made by secondary teachers in training of an introductory orientation course offered during the first seven weeks of the 1984 H.D. E. course in the Department of Education of Rhodes University. This course, the About To Teach (ATT) course, was introduced in an attempt to obviate some of the perceived problems that students experience in the initial months of their H.D.E. year. The course was first offered in 1982 and in both 1982 and 1983 it was assessed by the students. The evaluation of the assessments offered in those two years provided much of the background for this in-depth look at student assessments of the 1984 ATT course. Briefly, the course attempts to offer the students a stimulating, meaningful, interesting and enjoyable learning experience which will help them to orientate; prepare them adequately for their first teaching practice and the reception later of the offerings of the core theory discipline of Philosophy, Sociology and Psychology. The course itself is a piece of action research and its underlying assumptions are essentially humanistic in nature. Its planners have attempted to bracket as many assumptions as possible and to espouse only those assumptions which are basically positive in nature. It does not attempt to prescribe or offer any dogma which can or must be assessed in any formal sense; it attempts to meet the students from whatever stages in their development they are at when they arrive to commence their H.D.E. year; and it does not attempt to compel the students in any way whatsoever. It is a course which must stand or fall on its own merits. Since the researcher is himself an involved participant in the process, he felt that the completion of a detailed questionnaire and interviews with a sample of the students would be the most economical and the best means of obtaining data for as objective an analysis as possible. To further obviate the possibility of researcher bias all the responses collected have been included in the appendices so that the reader may satisfy him/herself that the interpretations made and conclusions drawn are reasonable. Briefly, the chief conclusion of this researcher is that the overwhelming majority of the students perceived the course as offering them a meaningful learning experience. In addition, it can be argued that the course is, in effect, a guidance course in that it appears to be preparing students for experiences which they still have to come across . Most are generally critical of other courses offered during the H.D . E. year and many make an appeal for, or suggest, a much more integrated approach along the lines of the ATT course . There is a definite appeal for a coherent H.D.E. experience which is meaningful and 'peoplecentred'. By no stretch of the imagination can the findings of this particular piece of research be generalised to any other context since it is very definitely specific in both context and setting. However the researcher is quietly confident that his conclusions and recommendations make a great deal of sense within the specific context of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
- Authors: Coughlan, Niall Sean
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape High school teachers -- Training of -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1910 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007057
- Description: This piece of research is an attempt to evaluate the assessments made by secondary teachers in training of an introductory orientation course offered during the first seven weeks of the 1984 H.D. E. course in the Department of Education of Rhodes University. This course, the About To Teach (ATT) course, was introduced in an attempt to obviate some of the perceived problems that students experience in the initial months of their H.D.E. year. The course was first offered in 1982 and in both 1982 and 1983 it was assessed by the students. The evaluation of the assessments offered in those two years provided much of the background for this in-depth look at student assessments of the 1984 ATT course. Briefly, the course attempts to offer the students a stimulating, meaningful, interesting and enjoyable learning experience which will help them to orientate; prepare them adequately for their first teaching practice and the reception later of the offerings of the core theory discipline of Philosophy, Sociology and Psychology. The course itself is a piece of action research and its underlying assumptions are essentially humanistic in nature. Its planners have attempted to bracket as many assumptions as possible and to espouse only those assumptions which are basically positive in nature. It does not attempt to prescribe or offer any dogma which can or must be assessed in any formal sense; it attempts to meet the students from whatever stages in their development they are at when they arrive to commence their H.D.E. year; and it does not attempt to compel the students in any way whatsoever. It is a course which must stand or fall on its own merits. Since the researcher is himself an involved participant in the process, he felt that the completion of a detailed questionnaire and interviews with a sample of the students would be the most economical and the best means of obtaining data for as objective an analysis as possible. To further obviate the possibility of researcher bias all the responses collected have been included in the appendices so that the reader may satisfy him/herself that the interpretations made and conclusions drawn are reasonable. Briefly, the chief conclusion of this researcher is that the overwhelming majority of the students perceived the course as offering them a meaningful learning experience. In addition, it can be argued that the course is, in effect, a guidance course in that it appears to be preparing students for experiences which they still have to come across . Most are generally critical of other courses offered during the H.D . E. year and many make an appeal for, or suggest, a much more integrated approach along the lines of the ATT course . There is a definite appeal for a coherent H.D.E. experience which is meaningful and 'peoplecentred'. By no stretch of the imagination can the findings of this particular piece of research be generalised to any other context since it is very definitely specific in both context and setting. However the researcher is quietly confident that his conclusions and recommendations make a great deal of sense within the specific context of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
The role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for personal and social life in Gazankulu
- Authors: Machimana, Albert
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Counselling , Guidance , Life skills , Secondary education , Self concept , Gazankulu
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1381 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001447
- Description: In the modernising South African society, young people are faced with personal and social problems which make it very difficult for them to adjust positively to life in general. In the end they are frustrated in many situations in life because of their inability to cope with these problems. One of the major problems that the Blacks in South Africa are faced with is that of a poor self-concept. This is a major problem because any adjustment and behaviour in life is, to a large extent, influenced by the self-concept of the individual. This thesis aims at focusing attention on those social issues which play a major role in the development of the self-concept and the lives in general, of Black people in Gazankulu. It is also concerned with the role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for a more satisfying life (Introduction, p. 1)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
The role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for personal and social life in Gazankulu
- Authors: Machimana, Albert
- Date: 1986
- Subjects: Counselling , Guidance , Life skills , Secondary education , Self concept , Gazankulu
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1381 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001447
- Description: In the modernising South African society, young people are faced with personal and social problems which make it very difficult for them to adjust positively to life in general. In the end they are frustrated in many situations in life because of their inability to cope with these problems. One of the major problems that the Blacks in South Africa are faced with is that of a poor self-concept. This is a major problem because any adjustment and behaviour in life is, to a large extent, influenced by the self-concept of the individual. This thesis aims at focusing attention on those social issues which play a major role in the development of the self-concept and the lives in general, of Black people in Gazankulu. It is also concerned with the role of the guidance teacher in preparing young people for a more satisfying life (Introduction, p. 1)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1986
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