Thesis (DTech (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008. / Multi-grade teaching is a worldwide phenomenon. Meeting the basic needs of rural
people in developing countries is a major challenge to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals of the Education for All programmes. Situation analyses carried
out by Little (1995, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005), Juvane (2005), Taylor and Mulhalll
(1997) and Atchoarena and Gasperini (2003) indicate that multi-grade schools are
common in impoverished, low population settlements such as remote areas and small
villages. Researchers like Berry (2001), Pratt (1986) and Bryk (1994) report evidence
that multi-grade schools can be positive places for learners and teachers. Observations
done by Rao (2004), McGinn (1996) and McEwan and Benveniste (2001) show that
successful models of multi-grade teaching already exist. Examples of addressing the
isolation of multi-grade settings are found in Finland and Greece, where ICT is utilized
to address this challenge. The "active" pedagogy which researchers like Little (1995, 2003 and 2005), Juvane
(2005), Miller (1999) and McEwan and Benveniste (2001) promote for multigrade
schools expects teachers to guide activities to be completed, and allows for free
activities, which require application of the knowledge gained. It also involves creative
exploration and application of regional-specific knowledge and relies upon learners to
acquire and construct knowledge for themselves, guided by the teacher. Atchoarena
and Gasperini (2005:6) believe in an integrated learning concept which bases its focus
on the notion that effective learning is not limited to the classroom, but that, through
use of community resources the curricula can "come alive."The "active" pedagogy and
the expected participation of communities in the teaching and learning process should
not only be for the benefit of the multi-grade class but should also be applicable to
teaching and learning in mono-grade classes. This contributes to Bingham's (1995:6)
view that a natural community of learners is inclusive of experiences outside school
boundaries in the larger world. According to the Ministerial Committee on Rural Education (2005:12), South Africa's
first ten years of democracy, are after 1994, characterized by an overwhelming
commitment to equality, to treat everyone in the same way no matter what his or her
differences are. Hence, the management and funding of rural schools are similar to the
principles and formulas of those of urban schools. So too, curriculum and pedagogies
of rural schooling are planned to be the same as those found in rural settings. Emerging Voices (2205:12) and Joubert (2005:3) agree that rural education has to
provide the means to enable generations to break out of the recurring cycle of unskilled
labour and resultant poverty. State education must deliver learners who are able to
read, write and are numerate and furthermore deliver trained teachers for the multigrade
Irural school system.
In the literacy reviewed, it is clear that curricula, learning materials, teacher education
and assessment are necessary components of an integrated strategy for learning and
teaching in multi-grade settings. Surrounding these strategies is the need for national
policies for curriculums, materials, teacher education and assessment that recognize,
legitimate and support learners and teachers in multi-grade settings. The researcher
identified two interventions, which addressed the above mentioned multi-grade
phenomenon in South Africa, namely the Kgatelopele project of the Limpopo Education
Department launched in 2000 and the Multi-grade Rural School Intervention (MGRSI)
in the Western Cape Province launched in 2001.
Both these interventions focused on the needs of multi-grade schools, and ways to
address those needs. The MGRSI was structured according to a logic model, which
provided the objectives of the intervention and the strategy, which it intended to follow
in order to reach the stated outcomes. This study provided the opportunity to do a case
study, which revealed the successes and the challenges of the intervention
implemented from 2001 to 2006.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/2130 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Boonzaaier, Petrus Johannes Visser |
| Contributors | Joubert, J |
| Publisher | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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