Abstract:
This research was a case study of teachers’ conceptualizations and theories that
underpin their classroom practices in a primary school in the Mankweng Township,
Limpopo Province. The study sought to explore what these conceptualizations are, and
what theoretical paradigms (or mix of paradigms) underpin them. However, rather than
attempt to get teachers to articulate their conceptions (which may be too abstract and
difficult an undertaking), teachers were required to engage with classroom practices
different from their own and in the context of this engagement, confront their own beliefs
about literacy and literacy development.
The study also aimed to explore whether encounters by teachers with classroom
practices based on sets of principles different to their own will lead them to revise their
theories or principles underpinning their teaching practices. The empirical data was in
the form of seven lessons by the regular teachers alongside six intervention lessons
taught by the academic researchers. Key to the research design was to get teachers to
critically and reflectively engage with their teaching and the teaching of others. Through
the use of actual transcripts of teachers’ classroom practices and responses to the two
sets of lessons as evidence, teachers’ classroom practices, actions and beliefs were
made visible in this research.
The data from regular lessons show a consistent yet disconcerting pattern in teachers’
classroom practices as learners were found to be writing far too little, and much of
learning and teaching was predominantly oral. Teachers also seemed to lack theories of
literacy teaching, and thus could not meaningfully engage their learners in academic
discourse enabling them to cross the bridge between everyday knowledge and
academic knowledge. Overall, the study suggests that pedagogic and content
knowledge are key, in order to empower teachers with both knowledge of their
disciplinary content and meaningful strategies of communicating the knowledge they
have to their learners. Further current models of teacher professionalization through
short training workshop do not seem to be very effective and alternative approaches
need to be developed.
