Autobiographical narrative in a language classroom: a case study in a South African school

Abstract

There are still many South African teachers who are challenged by the implementation of the relatively new system of education. They have to explore a variety of strategies as they try to transform their pedagogy to enhance learning in their classrooms. This post-apartheid system also challenges educators to be transformative individuals who unveil learning opportunities for their pupils. Furthermore, as they attempt to transform their teaching, they ought to assess their own practice on a continuous basis. Ideally, this means that concepts such as teacher research and reflection will be instrumental in enabling South African teachers to attain the goals of the post-apartheid curriculum. This paper focuses on a case study which explores the professional journey of one (English second language) teacher who tried to improve his teaching by using the autobiographical narrative as well as journal writing strategies. Mr. Poni had been teaching for 10 years when he came across the idea of using autobiographical narrative to enhance his teaching of (mainly) English literature in his Grade 12 classes. This study's findings reveal that reflection does lead to better action. Poni discovered that it was through the sharing of experiences with colleagues and his pupils that he became aware of various aspects he had previously overlooked. This study also confirms the invaluable nature of the autobiographical narrative, as well as the concept of teacher as researcher. It was also through the utilisation of the narrative that Poni was able to be critical of his own teaching practice.