Abstract
This action learning study was conducted with senior phase technology education (TE) teachers in M5kg Circuit of Limpopo Province. In most cases action learning follows after participants have been through action research study even though some other scholars use this term interchangeably. The aim of this article is to report the progressive action undertaken by participants after they identified teachers’ challenges in their classroom teaching practice. This was done so that appropriate action learning (AL) intervention strategies could be embarked upon to emancipate other technology education teachers who were not participating on action research study. A reconnaissance study as the first cycle stage of AL was instrumental in identifying the teachers’ challenges and that was followed by the main action research (AR) study. Focus group, workshop/seminars and audio-visual photos were employed in gathering data from the teachers of twelve (12) schools in M5kg Circuit secondary schools. The findings revealed teachers’ incapacity in terms of their knowledge and teaching of technology in the areas of technology-specific teaching experience, technology lesson planning, technology assessment, level of internal and external support for technology teaching, resources for technology teaching and learning, technology curriculum policy interpretation and implementation, and teacher-learner ratio in a technology class. In responding to the findings, the results prompt the development of the guidance to emancipate un- and under qualified technology teachers to confidently teach technology. Critical theory was used to underpin the study while AL was instrumental as the methodology to empower and equip teachers to teach without any formal training of technology education as these was evident from their interview responses. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n3p502
Highlights
Introduction and Motivation of the StudySouth Africa has for many years struggled to deliver an acceptable mathematics, science and technology education at primary and high school (Gauteng Department of Education, 2010)
The action learning (AL) participants experience major benefits as individuals and their growth was evident in the following area: Facilitation and presentation skills improved as they interacted with their colleagues by sharing the topics of their expertise; Individual technology teachers improved their technological skills, technological knowledge and values in handling diverse learner population; The AL individual participants improved their classroom practice in both pedagogy and didactic; A sigh of relieve was expressed as greater understanding and awareness of some technology areas and or topics were unpacked in details
This study was set out to identify the gaps that the senior phase technology teachers at M5kg Circuit of Limpopo Province faced regarding their knowledge and teaching of technology
Summary
Amongst the multiple challenges that can be mentioned, teacher development and empowerment become prominent as it is technology teachers that are placed at the forefront to teach learners this relatively new subject These TE teachers are lumped with other subjects as compared with the rest of other teachers and their situation was even worse by the rolling out of the outcomes-based Curriculum 2005(C2005) in 1998. The NCS remains as a policy, while the new CAPS is an attempt to give clear guidelines for the implementation of the NCS (Curriculum News, 2010; De Jager, 2011; Motshekga, 2013 & 2014) This confirms the challenge that teachers face regarding their understanding of the curriculum; expressed in terms of constraints that they face about its implementation. I will be sharing those technology teachers’ experiences as a critical realist using action learning paradigm and underpinning this study through critical theory
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