The design project examines collaboratively what transformative climate-communication can look like, and whether conversations can be a possible form of activism. Stemming from a concern that extreme forms of activism and their depiction in media have the potential to highly polarize civil society, the project explores the navigation and negotiation of spaces of communication and interaction in empathetic and connective ways. In the project I look at conversations as an additional or alternative way to disruptive protest forms of activism, within the non-violent liberal civil-disobedience movement and explore how to design for empathy and agency in the context of facilitating and curating spaces, tools and methods. The project recognizes the importance of conversations in the context of shaping opinions, changing perspectives and influencing behavior, and thus their relevance in the context of mitigating and communicating the climate emergency. During the project different conversation tools and methods have been designed, tested and developed in the framework of several gatherings.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The school environment presents a valuable opportunity for the identification, monitoring and support of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Many children are caring for parents suffering from AIDS-related illnesses and/or they are the main breadwinner of the household. As a result of HIV/AIDS and poverty therefore, children might be dropping out of school, or their ability to perform adequately at school might be significantly reduced. The aim of this study was to use a case study approach to explore and describe support provision in a South African formal school, examining, in particular, the relative significance of leadership, organisational development and gender-related matters in addressing the needs of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The availability and quality of this support is analysed within the context of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) transforming itself from a system focused on controlling schools to a system focused on supporting schools. The reflexive qualitative research approach was decided upon m order to describe and understand how, and to what extent, the teachers and the principal of a poverty-stricken primary school might benefit from the WCED's systemic change processes when addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS and poverty. The methodological rationale for this qualitative research approach forms part of a search for meaning within the cultural context(s) of the school in an effort to understand issues related to HIV/AIDS in schools. The research's second aim was to establish principles for an approach to educational support, which would be applicable in similar situations elsewhere. In the case study, the focus is on the WCED supporting the principal and teachers at a poverty-stricken primary school in carrying out their roles as leaders, teachers and caregivers. In order for the principal and teachers to provide quality support to the learners, they themselves need to receive appropriate forms of support from the education system. For this research to be contextually grounded, questions around HIV/AIDS and the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children in many communities were considered. One of the central questions was: How are the challenges of daily life in the running of a school met where issues related to poverty and health are dominant? Gender-based sexual violence and sexual abuse of children, as well as other social problems affecting learners in the school investigated for this thesis were included in the addressing of the main questions The complexity of the issues involved when exploring the research questions became increasingly more apparent during the research journey of this thesis. I experienced fully the potential of the case study to provide a 'thick' description and contribute significantly to an in-depth understanding of a complex phenomenon from a local and holistic perspective. I was able to focus on how the macro-narratives of support policy connected to the micro-narratives of teachers in primary schools. Based on the findings of the research, I concluded that the problems of HIV/AIDS-affected children, families and communities do not only overlap considerably with the problems related to poverty - a widely held view among researchers - but that poverty-related problems may, indeed, conceal the very existence of HIV/AIDS. The investigation shows that the wide-spread poverty affecting the case school learners, seems to have 'blinded' teachers in terms of 'seeing' the learner in a context of HIV/AIDS. This phenomenon in the case school was observed in spite of the HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator claiming that the district's teachers had learned to 'see' the learner in ways which they had not prior to the introduction of the WCED's HIV/AIDS Life Skills Programme I trust that the different stakeholders within the field of education and HIV/AIDS will benefit from the findings and recommendations flowing from this investigation. First and foremost, I believe that the lessons learnt from the fieldwork, could be of use to South African stakeholders generally, and, in particular, to the Western Cape Education Department and those working as school support staff at district level (the EMDCs). The findings of the study may provide valuable feedback to the current practices of the school support structures, including the voluntary HIV/AIDS support structure, and form a basis for informed further action by the relevant government departments and other stakeholders in education. In this way, the thesis could contribute to improved formal school support provision in the context of HIV/AIDS, and therefore, serve to enhance the quality of education for all children.

This investigative study was undertaken against the background of the recent calls for back to basics by the Schooling 2025 initiative, as well as to address the 2000 and 2009 Review Committees’ reports on the training and development of teachers and on the variable quality of learning support materials. The act of systemic transformation has led to two curriculum revisions taking place within the South African education sector and has inevitably culminated in the identification of shortcomings in teacher development and learning materials. This study has positioned itself to address these shortcomings at pre-service level through the preparation of Mathematics student teachers as prospective Mathematics teachers. In addressing the issue of inadequate training, the focus of the study was not only on cognition, but also on how affect could influence the learning of Mathematics so as to ensure a more encompassing approach in understanding how student teachers learn and do Mathematics. Integrated research on affect and cognition could lead to optimal performance in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and researchers in mathematics education need to acknowledge the role and impact of the affective domain and integrate it into studies of cognition. If learners are going to become competent learners of Mathematics, their affective responses to Mathematics are going to be much more intense than if they are merely expected to achieve satisfactory levels of performance in low-order mathematical skills. In the studies on mathematics cognition, the focus of mathematical competencies is on abilities and capabilities while, in the affective domain, competencies in mathematics are more than the abilities to perform observable tasks. Rather, the focus of the affective competencies lies in the direction, the degree and the levels of intensities of affect constructs (or their variables) that will define mathematical competencies within the affective domain. Evidentiary (qualitative) data from this study supported the contention that affect does influence the learning of mathematics since there were distinct patterns in the overall expressions of participants towards this aspect of the research. The acknowledgment of the concerns of student teachers during field practicum could possibly help in ameliorating these concerns through the identification of what student teachers were mostly concerned about when teaching Mathematics and how, by addressing these concerns, could help improve their teaching skills and abilities. Based on the quantitative evidence, the three subscales of self, task and impact used in the Student Concerns Questionnaire (SCQ) were modified on the basis of factor analysis to a two-factor model (concerns about self-benefit and concerns about learner-benefit). Some of the statistical results were integrated with the narrative data to provide substantive support for the expressions of student teachers. No classical trends, as noted in the concerns theory, could be detected in this study. It was statistically inferred that a majority of Mathematics student teachers who participated in this study were moderately concerned about most of the concerns statements noted in each of the items on the SCQ. In addressing the variable quality of the learning material the study focused on the development and the use of social context learning packages. The utilisation of these learning packages (in an intervention strategy) was aimed at strengthening social context knowledge and education, and explored its role in the translation (if any) of student teacher concerns within a hierarchical spectrum. The evidence on how student teachers perceived the use of these learning packages was recorded during the interviews. Analyses of the verbal data revealed that the participating student teachers agreed with the use of social context learning packages as part of their Mathematics lessons. In sum, the need to prepare effective Mathematics teachers and raise the academic calibre of prospective Mathematics teachers was fundamental to the overall design of this study. It is trusted that curriculum planners and designers will consider the recommendations of this study to address the so-called inadequacies within the education system of South Africa. / Thesis (PhD (Mathematics Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This investigative study was undertaken against the background of the recent calls for back to basics by the Schooling 2025 initiative, as well as to address the 2000 and 2009 Review Committees’ reports on the training and development of teachers and on the variable quality of learning support materials. The act of systemic transformation has led to two curriculum revisions taking place within the South African education sector and has inevitably culminated in the identification of shortcomings in teacher development and learning materials. This study has positioned itself to address these shortcomings at pre-service level through the preparation of Mathematics student teachers as prospective Mathematics teachers. In addressing the issue of inadequate training, the focus of the study was not only on cognition, but also on how affect could influence the learning of Mathematics so as to ensure a more encompassing approach in understanding how student teachers learn and do Mathematics. Integrated research on affect and cognition could lead to optimal performance in the teaching and learning of Mathematics and researchers in mathematics education need to acknowledge the role and impact of the affective domain and integrate it into studies of cognition. If learners are going to become competent learners of Mathematics, their affective responses to Mathematics are going to be much more intense than if they are merely expected to achieve satisfactory levels of performance in low-order mathematical skills. In the studies on mathematics cognition, the focus of mathematical competencies is on abilities and capabilities while, in the affective domain, competencies in mathematics are more than the abilities to perform observable tasks. Rather, the focus of the affective competencies lies in the direction, the degree and the levels of intensities of affect constructs (or their variables) that will define mathematical competencies within the affective domain. Evidentiary (qualitative) data from this study supported the contention that affect does influence the learning of mathematics since there were distinct patterns in the overall expressions of participants towards this aspect of the research. The acknowledgment of the concerns of student teachers during field practicum could possibly help in ameliorating these concerns through the identification of what student teachers were mostly concerned about when teaching Mathematics and how, by addressing these concerns, could help improve their teaching skills and abilities. Based on the quantitative evidence, the three subscales of self, task and impact used in the Student Concerns Questionnaire (SCQ) were modified on the basis of factor analysis to a two-factor model (concerns about self-benefit and concerns about learner-benefit). Some of the statistical results were integrated with the narrative data to provide substantive support for the expressions of student teachers. No classical trends, as noted in the concerns theory, could be detected in this study. It was statistically inferred that a majority of Mathematics student teachers who participated in this study were moderately concerned about most of the concerns statements noted in each of the items on the SCQ. In addressing the variable quality of the learning material the study focused on the development and the use of social context learning packages. The utilisation of these learning packages (in an intervention strategy) was aimed at strengthening social context knowledge and education, and explored its role in the translation (if any) of student teacher concerns within a hierarchical spectrum. The evidence on how student teachers perceived the use of these learning packages was recorded during the interviews. Analyses of the verbal data revealed that the participating student teachers agreed with the use of social context learning packages as part of their Mathematics lessons. In sum, the need to prepare effective Mathematics teachers and raise the academic calibre of prospective Mathematics teachers was fundamental to the overall design of this study. It is trusted that curriculum planners and designers will consider the recommendations of this study to address the so-called inadequacies within the education system of South Africa. / Thesis (PhD (Mathematics Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013