Pedagogical practices in a higher education context : case studies in environmental and science education

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My study investigates opportunities that may currently be available to enable the transformationof post-apartheid teacher education. I examine two case studies of my own professional practice.The first case study involves in-service education work that I performed with teachers in a localcommunity, Grassy Park. The second case study represents work I performed with students in apre-service education programme at the University of Stellenbosch. My study aims to:• Critically examine the implications of social issues, particularly environmental issues, forpedagogical practices generally and for South African pedagogical work in particular.• Critically review the changing socio-historical determinants of pedagogical practices in SouthAfrican teacher education.• Investigate changing pedagogical practices by describing and reflecting on work done in my ownprofessional contexts as a science/environmental teacher educator at a historically Afrikaneruniversity.With respect to teacher education, Pendlebury (1998) argues that we are seeing shifts in publicspace, evaluative space, pedagogical space and institutional space from insulated space (hiddenfrom public scrutiny) to a more porous space. In this study I am concerned with pedagogicalspace that, in Pendlebury's (1998:345) terms determines 'who may learn (or teach), how andwhat they learn (or teach), when and for how long and where'. I use these categories ofPendlebury (1998:345) together with Turnbull's (1997) perspectives on knowledge production asconceptual tools to frame my analyses of the cases. Although a significant part of my studyfocuses on classroom practices, I take pedagogy to have a much broader meaning thatincorporates in Hernandez's (1997:11) terms 'all spaces in which knowledge is produced andidentities are formed'.This research report offers a brief insight into the complexities of change at the micro-level ofclassroom practices. But, importantly also contextualises these micro-level pedagogical practiceswithin broader socio-historical determinants and provides praxiological comments on postapartheideducation policies. The research also initiates an investigation into the socialorganisation of trust in post-apartheid South Africa.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University