Faculty of Education
Department of Early Childhood Education
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
This study forms part of a longitudinal study on the enhancement of practitioners’ skills in facilitation and teaching in early learning centres in their rural communities. The purpose of the investigation was to determine how practitioners conceptualise their facilitation and teaching practices to the very young child. In this study, researchers employed active participation from the participants. Ten practitioners were selected purposefully from the Ntataise Network in the Rammulotsi Township of Viljoenskroon. Data was collected by means of observations, video recordings of their teaching in the classroom, open-ended interviews with the teachers, drawings from the children and field notes. Four prominent categories emerged from the data: the role of lecturers from the University of Pretoria in role modelling the skills and content in teaching the children, the improvement of self-confidence when realising that they have the capacity to facilitate content for children to understand, the importance of teamwork as they learn from one another, and the acknowledgement of the parents for their teaching as the primary schools are beginning to acknowledge the abilities of the children coming from these early learning centres and enrolling for Grade 1 at their schools. The researchers theorise that practitioners cannot be told how to facilitate learning to young children. They have to see and experience good practice (including teaching skills) role modelled to them. In addition, they have to participate actively in the role modelling. Through these experiences, children reap the benefit of being lead “by the hand” by a competent practitioner.
Contact person: Dr JC Joubert.
This study forms part of a longitudinal study on the enhancement of practitioners’ skills in facilitation and teaching in early learning centres in their rural communities. The purpose of the investigation was to determine how practitioners conceptualise their facilitation and teaching practices to the very young child. In this study, researchers employed active participation from the participants. Ten practitioners were selected purposefully from the Ntataise Network in the Rammulotsi Township of Viljoenskroon. Data was collected by means of observations, video recordings of their teaching in the classroom, open-ended interviews with the teachers, drawings from the children and field notes. Four prominent categories emerged from the data: the role of lecturers from the University of Pretoria in role modelling the skills and content in teaching the children, the improvement of self-confidence when realising that they have the capacity to facilitate content for children to understand, the importance of teamwork as they learn from one another, and the acknowledgement of the parents for their teaching as the primary schools are beginning to acknowledge the abilities of the children coming from these early learning centres and enrolling for Grade 1 at their schools. The researchers theorise that practitioners cannot be told how to facilitate learning to young children. They have to see and experience good practice (including teaching skills) role modelled to them. In addition, they have to participate actively in the role modelling. Through these experiences, children reap the benefit of being lead “by the hand” by a competent practitioner.
Contact person: Ms AC Botha.
This study forms part of a longitudinal study on the enhancement of practitioners’ skills in facilitation and teaching in early learning centres in their rural communities. The purpose of the investigation was to determine how practitioners conceptualise their facilitation and teaching practices to the very young child. In this study, researchers employed active participation from the participants. Ten practitioners were selected purposefully from the Ntataise Network in the Rammulotsi Township of Viljoenskroon. Data was collected by means of observations, video recordings of their teaching in the classroom, open-ended interviews with the teachers, drawings from the children and field notes. Four prominent categories emerged from the data: the role of lecturers from the University of Pretoria in role modelling the skills and content in teaching the children, the improvement of self-confidence when realising that they have the capacity to facilitate content for children to understand, the importance of teamwork as they learn from one another, and the acknowledgement of the parents for their teaching as the primary schools are beginning to acknowledge the abilities of the children coming from these early learning centres and enrolling for Grade 1 at their schools. The researchers theorise that practitioners cannot be told how to facilitate learning to young children. They have to see and experience good practice (including teaching skills) role modelled to them. In addition, they have to participate actively in the role modelling. Through these experiences, children reap the benefit of being lead “by the hand” by a competent practitioner.
Contact person: Dr NC Phatudi.
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