Browsing by Author "Flanagan, Wendy"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    The development of an effective multi-media distance education programme for in-service teachers
    (1996) Van der Wolk, Karen Anne; Flanagan, Wendy
    This dissertation is a report of my work in schools in the Eastern Cape while assisting the Primary Education project (PREP) to develop a resource pack for in-service education. In-service education has received much attention in recent years in South Africa. Both the state sector and non-government organisations have provided various in-service interventions in an attempt to improve both the qualifications of teachers and the results of pupils in schools. However, the dismal state of education in ex-DET schools bears witness to the fact that such interventions have by and large been ineffectual. This study shows how one project developed and trialled parts of a distance learning in-service course in conjunction with junior primary farm school teachers. The need for innovative and creative models of distance education is explored and our understanding of the nature of distance learning is detailed. The study goes on to include an analysis of the political economy of farm schools. It also details the constraints acting upon teachers in such schools and shows how these impacted on the study. The research procedures and methods of data collection are outlined and a framework for analysing the data is developed and justified. The actual data generated during the study is then measured against this framework in order to gauge its effectiveness as an in-service intervention. Finally, I draw conclusions and make certain recommendations based on the evidence presented. Whilst these recommendations are tentative, they may have relevance in terms of future in-service education policies and procedures.
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    An investigation into children's developing mathematical abilities
    (1997) Gurney, Jean Rosemarie; Craig, Anita; Flanagan, Wendy
    This study examines children's developing mathematical abilities during the first three years of their schooling. More particularly, children in grades one, two and three of three different primary schools, in two different regions, had their performances on eleven mathematics tasks monitored over the course of 1996 to examine their developing mathematical abilities. These abilities were investigated in terms of task-particular performances and the assumed competencies (internal mental processes) underlying these performances. The data was generated through the use of a repeated measures design. The theory of the methods used to gather the data and to analyse the results is rooted in Vygotsky's (1978) experimental-developmental approach to the study of higher mental functions. This method of observation proved to be successful to the degree that it allowed for the study of changes in children's performances over a seven month period. The overall findings of the study revealed that the subjects in the sample population had the developmental readiness with which to improve their mathematical abilities. However, when this developmental readiness had to be taken further through formal instruction, their performances were inadequate. The investigation exposed the complexity and importance of language in the successful development of mathematical concepts. The data indicated that the subjects' learning was neither in advance of their development nor was it indicative of the constructivist approach to the task of teaching. Furthermore, there existed a conflict between spontaneous and formal knowledge in engaging with school mathematics tasks.
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    The pedagogy of large classes : challenging the "large class equals gutter education" myth
    (1997) Maged, Shireen; Flanagan, Wendy
    The study takes the work of three teachers to examine whether the popular belief of "small is better" is substantiated in the practice of these teachers. The study observes and analyses the classroom instruction of each of these teachers in a small class as well as in a large class. The observation is done with the use of an observation schedule, and the analysis of data is done within a Vygotskian framework. The study shows that the pedagogy and the teaching style of the three teachers does not change when they teach differently sized classes. In other words, their classroom practice is the same for both the small and large classes. The study further shows that the pedagogy of the teacher determines the effectiveness or quality of instruction, and that class size does not impact, either positively (in the case of the small class) or negatively (in the case of a large class) on the effectiveness or quality of instruction.
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    What do teachers say and do when teaching a concept of print in linguistically diverse classrooms
    (1997) Koopman, Arabella Lavinia; Flanagan, Wendy
    The dissertation reports on a study of the classroom practice of four Grade One teachers who teach in multilingual classrooms. The report seeks to provide a descriptive analysis of what these teachers say and do as they teach their pupils a concept of print. Increasing numbers of teachers in South African schools find themselves teaching linguistically diverse groups of pupils. While these teachers are most often unable to speak or understand the home languages of all of the pupils in their classes, they are faced with the task of teaching pupils to read in a language which may not be equally familiar to all of them. The reading lessons of four teachers in four schools were observed over a period of six months as they taught Grade One pupils to read. Instruments in the form of observation schedules, questionnaires, miscue analysis schedules and a schedule of indicators were designed to collect information on both the teachers' practice and pupil outcomes. A Vygotskian theory of teaching and learning is used to interrogate the data. The study shows that there are differences in the ways that these teachers demonstrate an understanding of print to their pupils as well as in the ways in which the teachers mediate a concept of print. The study further shows that the teachers' understanding of the task of teaching children to read and their understanding of teaching and learning has significant pedagogical implications for the ways in which they develop pupils' concept of print. The study concludes that the teachers' demonstrations of the way in which print works have a greater impact on their pupils developing a concept of print than their own inability to speak and understand the home languages of all of the pupils in their classes.