Browsing by Author "Beets, Peter"

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    Assessering-vir-leer in geografie-klasse in die verder-onderwys-en opleidingsbaan
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-12) Beets, Peter; Le Grange, L. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to develop a nuanced perspective of the nature of assessment practices in Geography teaching and the extent to which such practices are aimed at promoting learning, in agreement with policy changes that underpin a shift from a behaviourist to a more social-constructivist teaching and learning approach. I developed this perspective through taking cognisance of the literature on educational assessment and my experience as a Geography teacher, as well as through my observation and experiences with regard to the assessment practices prevalent in Grade 10 Geography classes. The study focused on practices in assessment for learning in high schools in and around Stellenbosch in order to analyse and understand the actions of and interaction between the various role players in the educational activities that take place in differing contexts. This was done from within an interpretative research paradigm. The research confirms that the process of implementing curriculum renewal is highly complex and that it is co-determined by factors that operate both within the microcontext (the classroom, the school) and the macro-context (nationally, globally). The aforementioned complexity is further increased by the ongoing interaction between the contexts. The latter was illustrated clearly in the course of the research through a strongly conservative approach to assessment practices that is typical of an assessment-of learning regime on the one hand and pressure to comply with policy and career expectations on the other - without properly considering the possible implications for assessment for learning. The study argues that the grounding of teaching, assessment and learning practices in productive pedagogies and the corresponding policy making and in-service training of teachers could direct the focus on assessment for learning in support of quality teaching and learning in Geography classes in high schools.
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    Climate change science : the literacy of Geography teachers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
    (Education Association of South Africa, 2015-08) Anyanwu, Raymond; Le Grange, Lesley; Beets, Peter
    One of the universal responses to tackling global climate change is teaching climate change concepts at all levels of formal education. This response requires, among other things, teachers who are fully literate about climate change science, so that they can explain the concepts underlying the causes, impacts and solutions of climate change as accurately as possible to learners. The main intention of this study was to understand high school Geography teachers’ levels of knowledge about climate change science. A 15-item, criterion-referenced, multiple-choice Climate Change Literacy Questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.74 using the Guttman’s spit-half test was administered to 194 high school Geography teachers in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data collected were analysed with the Pearson’s Chi-square test and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the majority of the participants demonstrated significantly high literacy levels in climate science, with their literacy levels higher in climate processes and causes of climate change than climate change impacts and solutions. Misconceptions were found in all three categories of climate change science as represented in the survey instrument. These findings suggest that teacher educators and policymakers should improve professional development programmes and support interventions in teacher knowledge and understanding of climate change concepts, so as to enhance climate change education in schools.
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    Reflection as learning about the self in context : mentoring as catalyst for reflective development in pre-service teachers
    (Education Association of South Africa, 2010) Frick, Liezel; Carl, Arend; Beets, Peter
    Establishing a close alignment between teacher education programmes and the realities of the actual classroom remains a challenge in preparing pre-service teachers at higher education institutions. The literature indicates that reflection is a core quality of effective teachers. We investigate how the development of reflective practice through mentoring programmes can facilitate the inevitable transitions that students have to make to the professional sector. Through a narrative analysis, we report on the insights of a selected group of Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students participating in the initial development phase of a mentoring system during their practice teaching in schools guiding them to reflect critically on their learning and practice. The data suggest that mentoring can act as a catalyst to enhance reflection. The development of reflection as praxis can assist in bridging the gap between theory and practice.
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    Towards integrated assessment in South African higher education
    (AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2009) Beets, Peter
    Higher education institutions are increasingly challenged to address pressing societal needs. This has led to changes in the nature of knowledge production and the competencies students are required to develop through teaching programmes. One area in which this change is evident is in a shift from Mode 1 knowledge that refers to pure, disciplinary, homogeneous, expert-led university-based knowledge to Mode 2 knowledge characterised as applied, problem-solving, transdisciplinary, heterogeneous and network-embedded. Consequently many teaching programmes now tend to focus not only on the knowledge (foundational) component, but also on the skills (practical) and application (reflexive) components of learning. All these components are necessary to support students to not only acquire memorised factual knowledge, but also to integrate their acquired competencies in different contexts so as to fulfil roles in the world beyond higher education. Assessment that serves as a catalyst for both teaching and learning can play a role in guiding and supporting the processes aimed at the attainment of applied competence. The response of the South African government to this challenge in higher education is to use assessment formatively and summatively in attaining applied competence. This chapter attempts to contextualise the tensions between the current assessment practices in higher education and what policies propose. It is argued that simply embracing these policies is problematic because the priorities of higher education and the state vary due to the different constituencies they serve and their concomitant priorities and imperatives. From an analysis of current higher education assessment practices, ways of mediating this divide are suggested, also serving as pointers for further research in this area.