A narration of a physical science teacher's experience of implementing a new curriculum

Abstract

This article narrates the lived experiences of a Physical Science teacher named Thobani (pseudonym) in implementing a new curriculum in South Africa. Drawing on the work of Husserl and Heidegger, the article describes the objects of direct experience in Thobani's consciousness about his life as a learner and teacher as revealed during an in-depth semi-structured interview conducted from two perspectives. The genealogical part of the interview chronicled how his knowledge of Physical Science had unfolded in his life as a learner and subsequently as a teacher; the portraiture perspective recounted the often traumatic events of his personal life and the circumstances that had informed his decision to become a teacher. Theoretically, the findings reveal how an incompetent Physical Science teacher had hampered his understanding of the fundamentals of the subject, and how the lack of support from the Department of Education and his head of department had retarded the implementation process. The insights gleaned from this phenomenological investigation into 150 the thought processes of a teacher introduced to a new curriculum could have potentially transformative effects for policy-makers, curriculum planners and teacher educators at a time when South African teachers are yet again faced with the implementation of a new curriculum.

The Body as Blind Spot: Towards Lived Experience and a Body-Specific Philosophy in Education

“…This dominant practice, in Merleau-Ponty's (1962) view, can be described as the perceptual space that drives the person (teacher or learner) to become the space within which he or she is placed. This notion of space and its influence on the body has been corroborated by empirical studies conducted by Alerby (2009), Koopman, Le Grange and De Mink (2016) and Lilja (2013). Merleau-Ponty (1962) emphasises how the body inhabits the world it is in.…”

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and economic growth in South Africa

“…These challenges deprive teachers of time to do their work diligently. This similar concern was raised by Physical Sciences teachers elsewhere in South Africa (Gudyanga & Jita 2019;Koopman et al 2016). From the responses on this theme, CAPS is well accepted and the document itself is user-friendly, even though putting the contents of the policy document in practice in order to attain the desired learning outcomes is still a challenge.…”

Rethinking curriculum implementation in time of COVID-19 and beyond: lessons learnt from rural science teachers

“…The principles of OBE remained the basis upon which curriculum implementation was to transpire. Irrespective of the changes made in the reformed curriculum, there was evidence of poor curriculum implementation mainly due to teachers struggling to understand the changes made (Blignaut, 2008;Koopman et al, 2016). Yet again, there was a call for more resources (Kriek & Basson, 2008).…”

“…Implementation was technically conceived and managed through accountability where teachers were expected to do administrative work as evidence of curriculum implementation. Science teachers' implementation of the new curriculum in rural areas and township schools struggled the most and this was evident in the academic performance of learners (Koopman et al, 2016). The South African government appears to have considered curriculum implementation as a one-size-fits-all practice (Blignaut, 2008;Du Preez & Reddy, 2014).…”

“…This has partly accounted for the number of post-1994 curriculum reforms that have taken place in South Africa, all of which have perpetuated and replicated a poor record of curriculum implementation. Several studies have been carried out to understand and seek ways to best address the ongoing problem of curriculum implementation especially as it relates to science education (Koopman et al, 2016;Ojo & Mathabathe, 2021;Taole, 2015). Yet, the problem persists, particularly in most rural areas despite technological innovations in education and a considerable focus on learner-centred teaching.…”