The subject of the investigation is the impact of management of curriculum delivery as an aspect of learner performance in Grade 12. The investigation is limited to public secondary and combined schools in District Six (D-6) of the Gauteng province. Over the years, and even now, the Department of Education in D-6 is busy trying to find better methods of managing and empowering educators with the sole aim of improving the performance of learners in their Senior Certificate (Grade 12) Examinations. Some of the attempts by the Gauteng Department of Education in D-6 are indicated by the implementation of various intervention programmes and strategies in the public secondary and combined schools. The developmental workshops are continuously organized in order to improve the performance of learners in public schools. The literature indicated that educators are not yet sufficiently empowered to manage curriculum delivery in the public secondary and combined schools. The research project used a structured questionnaire to collect data on the opinions of the respondents in the 19 sample schools of D-6 in the Gauteng province. The questionnaire contained 60 items. The structured questionnaires were distributed to a convenient stratified sample of educators in all the 19 secondary and combined schools. Based on the information from the questionnaire, each item relevant to this particular research was analysed and discussed. After the factor analysis, the significance of the difference between factors mean scores of various groups, for each of the factors that make up the extent of effective management strategies on the enhancement of curriculum delivery, and the extent of effective assessment strategies on the enhancement of curriculum delivery, were analysed and explained. The data obtained indicates that the manner in which curriculum delivery is managed in schools has an impact on the learners’ performance in their Senior Certificate (Grade 12) Examinations. For that reason, the performance of learners in secondary and combined schools can only be improved by implementing effective management strategies and effective assessment strategies that could enhance curriculum delivery in secondary and combined schools. In order to achieve the desired outcome, all the stakeholders, especially the Department of Education, the parents of learners and educators should be committed in improving the management of curriculum delivery in secondary (iv) schools. Managers in their schools should ensure that the management of curriculum delivery is not overlooked and improperly managed. The Department of Education should at all times empower educators in order to avoid continuous decline in learners` performance, including in the schools where intervention programmes and strategies are being implemented. The intervention programmes and strategies could be a success, provided they are coupled with proper management strategies for effective curriculum delivery. / Prof. B.R. Grobler

There is a growing consensus that the character of pedagogy must shift from one of teacher- and textbook-directed instruction to one of student-centered learning. This transition stems from the need to maintain the United States’ competitive edge in the world market and prepare young people for a society that is more socially, economically, and politically complex. Progressive educators advocate for a “learning reform” facilitated by digital media, and the skills and competencies that young people develop through using participatory media in an informal setting. This study examined how the use of new media can support subject-area knowledge building and 21st century skills development in nine classrooms in an independent high school. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the collection and analysis of empirical data. This process took the form of semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, classroom observations, and an examination of course-related documents. A symbolic interactionist perspective framed the data analysis. The study examined wiki use, blogging, microblogging, and document sharing in six high school subject areas: ninth grade History, Latin II, Advanced Placement Art History, twelfth grade English, Anatomy and Physiology, and Environmental Science. Conceptual categories derived from the findings suggest that the use of specific new media tools support subject-area knowledge building, both explicit and tacit. This occurs by promoting participation among all students, which helps students broaden their perspectives through universal access to their peers’ thinking. Findings also suggest that the integration and use of these specific new media tools support the development of certain 21st century cognitive and interpersonal skills. The findings from this study support two substantive theories: 1) The use of new media support knowledge building and skills development through increased participation, leading to broadening students’ perspectives about subject-area content, and 2) as students engage in knowledge building activities, specific features of new media support the development of specific 21st century skills within the cognitive and interpersonal domains. The results of this study provide educators with a set of guidelines to consider as they integrate new media into subject-area curricula, and offer an agenda for further research on a local and national level. / text

In the introduction this thesis classifies different conceptions of the relationship between science and faith. Then, it focuses on common topics of natural science and theology in secondary education. It summarises and reflects the experience of teaching practice and deals with the practical options for Christian issues which the students are usually interested in. The topics are presented in relation to a specific high school curricula and sorted into three parts: Death and dysthanasia, Time and rheology, Deus vere ludens et homo ludens. Some practical examples and recommendation for teaching practice are also mentioned.