M.Ed. / In general terms education focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills and attitudes. In Technology Education these principles correlate with the aims of the technological process. Within the constructivist instructional approach the technological process provides the possibility for dormant thoughts to come to the fore, and provides the opportunity to the learners to be creative. Typing instruction, in contrast, is traditionally directed at the development of psychomotor skills and reproductive thinking. The cross curricular nature of Technology Education makes it possible for the integration of certain aspects of other subjects (learning areas), and in this context a theme of the Typing syllabus according to the technological process was presented to a group of Typing learners. This project was developed within the qualitative paradigm, and with the aid of a spontaneous sketch and a semi-structured focus group interview the perceptions of the learners, in respect of their learning experiences were investigated. Learners reported positively on their learning experiences and the co-operative learning opportunities. It was concluded that they felt more empowered and took bold but responsible decisions. This could indicate possible development of thinking skills by the learners. From this study it appeared that education should promote meaningful learning that empowers the learners to be independent and responsible in taking decisions. Purposeful learning opportunities must be created for learners to enhance thinking skills. Learners should be actively involved in the construction of knowledge and the Technology Education platform provides an ideal opportunity for this.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:4320 |
Date | 13 March 2014 |
Creators | De Swardt, Anna Estelle |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis |
Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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