Yesterday and Today, vol. 27 (2022)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/86986

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    Knowledge, power and school history in post-independence Malawi : a critical analysis of curriculum change (1964-2022)
    (2022) Bentrovato, Denise; Dzikanyanga, Nerva
    Emerging educational research in Africa reveals an eventful course of development for school history curricula in post-colonial African states as they grappled with issues of quality and relevance in history education. In exploring the internationally little-known case of Malawi, the article takes a diachronic approach to retracing the process of history curriculum change from the country’s independence from Britain in 1964 to the time of writing in 2022. The study proposes a systematic analysis of the content, pedagogy and assessment methods foregrounded by evolving history syllabuses in response to curriculum review processes over the last six decades. It also provides insights into the shifts undergone by Malawi’s priorities and aspirations in the context of its legacies of European colonialism, one-party dictatorship and authoritarianism and its transition to democracy in the mid1990s. Illuminating the entanglements of these processes with power politics and their contribution to the stagnation of the discipline of history, the article concludes that, although successive reviews have promoted curriculum change over time, they have failed to bring about meaningful reform.
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    Trends in African philosophy and their implications for the Africanisation of the South Africa history caps curriculum : a case study of Odera Oruka philosophy
    (South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT), 2022) Maluleka, Paul; Mathebula, Thokozani
    A Kenyan philosopher, Henry Odera Oruka (1944–1995), conceptualised and articulated the six trends in African philosophy. These are ethno-philosophy, nationalistic-ideological philosophy, artistic (or literary philosophy), professional philosophy, philosophic sagacity and hermeneutic philosophy. In this article, we maintain that the last three of these trends, namely professional philosophy, philosophic sagacity, and hermeneutic philosophy, are useful in our attempt to contribute to Africanising the school history curriculum (SHC) in the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in post-apartheid South Africa. Against this background, we make use of Maton’s (2014) Epistemic-Pedagogic Device (EPD), building on from Bernstein’s (1975) Pedagogic Device as a theoretical framework to view African philosophy and its implications for the Africanisation of the SHC in CAPS in post-apartheid South Africa. Through the lens of Maton’s EPD, we show how the CAPS’ philosophy of education is questionable; untenable since it promotes ‘differences of content’; and is at the crossroads, i.e., it is stretched and pulled in different directions in schools. Ultimately, we argue that Oruka’s three trends form a three-piece suit advertising one’s academic discipline (professional philosophy); showing South Africa’s rich history told in the words of African elders (sage philosophy); and imploring school history learners to embark on a restless, unfinished quest for knowledge in the classrooms in post-apartheid South Africa.
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    Unpacking the past : the ambivalent legacy of colleges of education
    (South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT), 2022) Robinson, Maureen; Chisholm, Linda
    The positive memory of teacher education colleges within South African higher education, often leading to a call to re-open the colleges, is usually based on an argument that colleges offered more ‘practical’ teacher preparation than today’s universities. In this article we draw on a variety of historical sources and artefacts, produced for an exhibition on colleges in the Western Cape, to reflect in greater depth on the experiences of college life. We use the concept of embodied knowledge that recognises the interconnectedness of knowledge, being and feeling with context to probe the sources and discuss ways in which colleges built a sense of community. At the same time, we illustrate the ambivalent legacy of these colleges, in their racial inequalities and constrained and often alienating curricula. We conclude by suggesting principles of teacher education that continue to be relevant, even as contemporary approaches to teacher education, and current policies and conditions, preclude a return to the past.
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    Using a historical memoir to improve curriculum coherence in teacher education : the case of Trevor Noah’s born a crime
    (South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT), 2022) Carolin, Andy; Bennett, Taryn
    Two of the recurring concerns identified in teacher education are a lack of curricular coherence and a schism between content and practice. In this article, we discuss a specific intervention that was aimed at addressing these two challenges as they relate to English and History specifically. We argue that through the use of a carefully selected historical memoir, much tighter coherence between these subjects can be articulated in ways that facilitate students’ mastery of core concepts and skills across both these learning areas, as well as a richer appreciation of their implication for teaching practice. For the purposes of this article, we define curricular coherence as an experienced sense of connectedness within and across modules. Focusing on the use of Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime (2016), we argue that engaging with a single historical text across multiple modules can improve curricular coherence and offer a more integrated approach to engaging with written texts and historical resources. With close reference to the Department of Higher Education and Training’s Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications, we reflect on our experiences of integrating this memoir into an undergraduate Intermediate Phase (IP) teacher education programme at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). We show how this memoir was integrated into four modules that form part of the second year of the degree, namely English for the Primary School, Social Sciences for the Intermediate Phase, Teaching Methodology for English, and Teaching Methodology for the Social Sciences.