Kriteria en riglyne vir die optimering van kontaktyd in die bereiking va leeruitkomste in die geografie-opleiding van onderwysstudente
Dr A Golightly
Departement Opvoedingswetenskappe, Potchefstroom Kampus
Noordwes Universiteit
Epos:
Promotor: Prof H Nieuwoudt
Opsomming PhD - Studie
Summary (Opsomming volg na Summary)
Criteria and strategies for the optimising of contact time in the attainment of learning outcomes in the Geography training of education students.
With the acceptance of Outcomes-based Education (OBE) in South Africa, the emphasis shifted from a teacher-centred to a learner-centred instruction approach. The learner-centred teaching approach of OBE is based on the social constructivistic teaching view. This view is based on the fundamental acceptance that people construe knowledge through interaction between their existing knowledge and beliefs and new ideas or situations within a social environment or milieu. It is thus essential that future Geography education students receive training in a similar manner as that which is expected of them as future practising teachers.
Lecturers’ and students’ beliefs and perceptions of how instruction must take place, in the majority of cases, still support the traditional direct instruction approach where lecturers transfer knowledge to students mainly through formal lectures. The acceptance of the social constructivistic teaching approach for the training of Geography education students implies that the beliefs of lecturers and students as well as their roles in the teaching learning process, must change. This means that the purpose of contact time between lecturer and students must necessarily change.Contact time should not just be used by the lecturer for presenting content. It is the task of the Geography lecturer to create a learning environment where students are actively involved in cooperative learning environments in the learning process. The lecturer acts as facilitator, guide, enabler and fellow-explorer in the learning process. Contact sessions must be used to offer the students the opportunity to report back on the learning assignments and activities or to reflect on what has been learnt.
Continuous formative assessment takes place during contact and non-contact times to give quick feedback on learning. The lecturer and students are involved in the assessment process. Clear assessment criteria must be compiled by the lecturer in cooperation with students so that the students will know precisely what is expected of them.
Together with the learner-centred teaching approach, certain universities worldwide have been obliged to decrease contact time between lecturer and student. Reasons for this can mainly be ascribed to an increase in student numbers and to effectively manage the lecturers’ time so that more time can be spent on research. The lecturer is supposed to design and plan a specific module so that the set learning outcomes could be achieved within the reduced time. Different guidelines are identified in the context of reducing contact time so as to ensure the effective achievement of learning outcomes. The lecturer should prepare, plan and manage contact time. Students must also accept larger responsibility for independent learning and attain some of the learning outcomes during non-contact times. To support students during non-contact times and to guide them in the attainment of learning outcomes and completion of assignments, students must make use of resource-based learning. The interactive study guide and work planning, as developed and compiled by the lecturer, is necessary for providing students with assistance and guidance so that students know precisely what is expected of them, what resources to use and when. It is furthermore necessary that the assessment strategies, that are used in the teaching of Geography, support the decrease in contact time. Bigger responsibility is given to students in the assessment process and is included in self and peer group assessment of and feedback to assignments. The Geography education lecturer involved in the development of the different Geography modules must make sure that over-assessment does not take place, but that students are exposed to multiple assessment methods.
Decision-making by university management on decreased contact time was probably taken without considering the full implications for learner-centred teaching. This study is an attempt to implement a learner-centred teaching approach in the Geography training of education students within the optimising of contact time between lecturer and students. A concept model for the Geography training of education students was developed to ensure the successful attainment of learning outcomes. The perception and attitudes of the students regarding the concept model in Geography-training within the optimising of contact time was analysed, after which the examination results of the students were compared with results of previous years. From the information required in the literature as well as in the implementation of the concept model in Geography training, criteria and strategies for the effective training of Geography teachers in the optimising of contact time were developed.
Words for indexing: Teaching paradigm, teaching and learning, teacher and learner-centred teaching approach, strategic learning, Geography education, Geography teacher education, Outcomes-based education, effective teaching practices, assessment.
Opsomming
Met die aanvaarding van Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwys (UGO) in Suid-Afrika is die klem verskuif van ‘n onderwysergesentreerde na leerdergesentreerde onderrigbenadering. Die leerdergesentreerde onderrigbenadering van UGO is gefundeer in die sosiaal-konstruktivistiese onderrigbeskouing. Diébeskouing is gebaseer op die fundamentele aanname dat mense kennis konstrueer deur die interaksie tussen hulle bestaande kennis en oortuigings en nuwe idees of situasies waarmee hulle binne ‘n sosiale omgewing of milieu in aanraking kom. Dit isdus noodsaaklik dat toekomstige Geografie-onderwysstudente op ‘n soortgelyke manier opleiding ontvang as wat van hul as toekomstige onderwysers in die praktyk verwag word.
Dosente en studente se oortuigings en persepsies van hoe onderrig en leer moet plaasvind, ondersteun in die meeste gevalle steeds die tradisionele direkte onderrigbenadering waar dosente inligting hoofsaaklik deur formele lesings aan studente oordra. Die aanvaarding van die sosiaal-konstruktivistiese onderrigbenadering vir die opleiding van Geografie-onderwysstudente impliseer dat die oortuigings van dosente en studente, asook hul rol in die onderrig-leerproses, moet verander. Dit beteken dat die doel van kontaktyd tussen dosent en studente noodwendig verander en nie meer net vir inhoudsaanbieding deur die dosent gebruik kan word nie. Dit is die taak van die Geografie-onderwysdosent om ‘n leeromgewing te skep waar studente in koöperatiewe leeromgewings aktief betrokke is by die leerproses. Die dosent tree op as fasiliteerder, begeleier en mede-ontdekker in die leerproses. Kontaksessies moet gebruik word om studente die geleentheid te bied om terug te rapporteer oor die leeropdragte en –aktiwiteite of te reflekteer oor dit wat geleer is. Deurlopende formatiewe assessering vind gedurende kontak- en nie-kontaktye plaas om vinnige terugvoering oor leer te gee. Die dosent, student en medestudente is betrokke by die assesseringsproses. Duidelike assesseringskriteria moet deur die dosent in samewerking met die studente opgestel word, sodat studente presies weet wat van hul verwag word.
Buiten om aan die eise van die leerdergesentreerde onderrigbenadering te voldoen, is sekere universiteitsbesture regoor die wêreld genoodsaak om kontaktyd tussen dosent en student te verminder. Hierdie tendens kan hoofsaaklik toegeskryf word aan ‘n toename in studentegetalle en die noodsaak dat dosente hul tyd effektief moet bestuur, sodat meer tyd aan navorsing bestee kan word. Verskillende riglyne word in die stelsel van verminderde kontaktyd gestel om die effektiewe bereiking van leeruitkomste te verseker. Die dosent behoort ‘n betrokke module só in te rig en te beplan dat die gestelde leeruitkomste binne verminderde kontaktyd bereik word. Studente moet ook groter verantwoordelikheid vir selfstandige leer aanvaar en van die leeruitkomste gedurende nie-kontaktye bereik. Om studente gedurende nie-kontaktye te ondersteun en te begelei in die bereiking van leeruitkomste en voltooiing van opdragte, word die weg van hulpbrongebaseerde leer gevolg. Die interaktiewe studiegids en werkbeplanning, soos deur die dosent ontwikkel en opgestel, verleen ondersteuning en begeleiding aan studente, sodat hulle presies weet wanneer en watter hulpbronne gebruik word. Verder is dit nodig dat die assesseringstrategieë wat in die opleiding van Geografie-onderwysstudente gebruik word, die vermindering in kontaktyd ondersteun. Groter verantwoordelikheid word aan studente gegee in die assesseringsproses en hulle word betrek by self- en portuurgroepassessering van opdragte en terugvoerings. Die Geografie-onderwysdosente betrokke by die ontwikkeling van die verskillende Geografie-modules moet toesien dat oorassessering nie plaasvind nie, maar dat studente aan veelvoudige assesseringsmetodes blootgestel word.
Besluitneming deur universiteitsbesture oor verminderde kontaktyd is geneem sonder om noodwendig die gevolge wat dit vir leerdergesentreerde onderrig inhou in ag te neem. In hierdie studie is gepoog om ‘n leerdergesentreerde onderrigbenadering in die Geografie-opleiding van onderwysstudente binne die optimering van kontaktyd tussen dosent en studente te implementeer. ‘n Konsepmodel vir die Geografie-opleiding van onderwysstudente is ontwikkel om die suksesvolle bereiking van leeruitkomste te verseker. Die persepsies en houdings van die studente rakende die konsepmodel in Geografie-opleiding binne die optimering van kontaktyd is ontleed, waarná die eksamen-uitslae van die studente met dié van vorige jare vergelyk is. Met die inligting wat uit die literatuur, asook uit die implementering van die konsepmodel in Geografie-opleiding verkry is, is kriteria en strategieë vir doeltreffende opleiding van Geografie-onderwysers binne die optimering van kontaktyd ontwikkel.
Woorde vir indeksering: Onderrigparadigma, onderrig- en leer, onderwyser- en leerdergesentreerde onderrigbenaderings, strategiese leer, Geografie-onderwys, Geografie-onderwysersopleiding, Uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys, effektiewe onderwyspraktyke, assessering.