The Role of Everyday Contexts in Learner‐centred Teaching: The practice in Namibian secondary schools

Abstract

This paper reports on the use of out-of-school everyday contexts in Namibian science classrooms. This use is portrayed against the backdrop of an explicit educational philosophy of learner-centred teaching. Data were collected through audio-taped teacher-learner interactions and non-participant field notes in 29 junior and senior science classes taught by 12 teachers in six schools. An existing typology was applied to classify episodes of use of everyday contexts and identify teachers' pedagogic strategies for their use. The results show that more everyday contexts are used in junior secondary than in senior secondary classes, that only a limited range of types of everyday contexts are used at both levels, and that their use often follows theoretical exposition or teacher questioning. These findings are related to three interpretations of learnercentred teaching. Recommendations for a fuller implementation of learner-centred teaching are made.

Understanding the Dialectical Relations Between Everyday Concepts and Scientific Concepts Within Play-Based Programs

“…Traditional constructivist inspired approaches to interviewing young Indigenous Australian children has produced data which only documents Indigenous children's capacity to engage in question and answer techniques and aspects of Western science understandings, and gives very little insight into young Indigenous children's scientific understandings (e.g. Kasandra et al 2005;Kesamang and Taiwo 2002;Gilbert and Yerrick 2001;Fleer 1997).…”

Contextual challenges of implementing learner‐centred pedagogy: the case of the problem‐solving approach in Uganda

“…In a broader sense the social-cultural context in Uganda, as in most African countries, reinforces strong teacher control in pedagogic processes because historically teaching in most parts of Africa is characterized by transmission of knowledge from teacher to learners (Kasanda et al, 2005;Tabulawa, 1997). In addition, while progressivism promotes learner involvement through activities such as group work, Kasanda et al (2005) argue that in contexts where adults are respected as keepers of knowledge and the young are expected to learn from their elders, teachers trying to implement learner-centred education have to break down traditional barriers and encourage learners to contribute their ideas and experiences.…”

“…In addition, while progressivism promotes learner involvement through activities such as group work, Kasanda et al (2005) argue that in contexts where adults are respected as keepers of knowledge and the young are expected to learn from their elders, teachers trying to implement learner-centred education have to break down traditional barriers and encourage learners to contribute their ideas and experiences.…”

The Dynamics of Learning Science in Everyday Contexts: A Case Study of Everyday Science Class in Korea

“…The purposes of these approaches often relate to various contexts and issues of personal and social life such as experiences, decision making, and problem solving in health, childcare, employment, leisure, public debates, and so forth, whereas scientific knowledge from content-based school science is regarded objective and fixed with one right answer and way of problem solving; however, matters in real life are seldom as straightforward as what school scientific knowledge suggests. To provide various scenarios of life applications, the context-based approach of science learning emphasizes learners' experiences, stories from home and communities, everyday materials, and so forth, and it has helped to bring out students' active learning and everyday relations of scientific knowledge to life (Kasanda, Lubben, Gaoseb, Kandjeo-Marenga, Kapeda & Campbell, 2005;Lubben, Campbell & Dlamini, 1996).…”