Pedagogical classroom practice and the social context: The case of Botswana

Coming to knowabout teaching, its development and researcher practice through collaborative action research with adult education teachers in Sudan

“…The specific situation of adult education is such that the learners have diverse mother tongues, limited literacy skills and impoverished socio-economic circumstances that limit their learning opportunities. This supports Tabulawa's (1997) claim that education is a socio-cultural activity, in the case of ta'lim in Sudanese adult education, as a process of both passing on and explaining knowledge.…”

“…Debates about the nature of 'quality education' vary between universalist proponents of specific pedagogic approaches, and postcolonial calls for the recognition of the indigenous knowledge and practices of education practitioners in their varied geographic, historical and socio-cultural contexts (Tabulawa, 1997).…”

“…Perceptual, structural and material contexts frame the practice teachers engage in, and therefore act as barriers to and facilitators of pedagogic reform (Guthrie, 1990). These include examination structures and the views of teachers, students and their parents (Tabulawa, 1997). Returning to the example of 'learnercentred pedagogy', such reforms can be viewed as "dysfunctional" as it does not allow learners to practise rote learning skills or directly relate to examinations (Tabulawa, 1997, p.201).…”

“…The students, therefore, followed a 'lockstep curriculum' and the whole class progressed at the same rate. 'Delivering' a national curriculum, even one perceived as poor quality, is not necessarily an indication of an unreflective or unagentic practitioner, but is a relevant objective in a context where qualification through assessment is valorised (Guthrie, 1990, Tabulawa, 1997.…”

Student Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions towards Assessment during an Initial Teacher’s Education Programme in Cameroon

“…The social function of assessment, often mediated by summative assessment, has also been an important part of the discourse. Given the social and economic value of academic qualifications (Taras, 2005), assessment of learning has significantly contributed both to subverting and maintaining power relations in different societies (Tabulawa, 1997;Struyven et al, 2005;Segers et al, 2008 (Brown, 2004;Peterson & Irving, 2007). Perceptions are in themselves part and parcel of reality.…”