Browsing by Author "Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane."

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An autoethnographic exploration of creative design practice: towards pedagogic implications.
(2018) De Beer, Christiaan Thomas Johannes.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.; Mitchell, Claudia Arlene.
I have lectured Jewellery Design at a University of Technology in South Africa for nearly 30 years now. My teaching practice has gradually adjusted over the years to suit the changing needs of the industry, the university and the students. I have become aware of the need to make deliberate adjustments, because the changes happening around me are more complex than I realized, and I feel out of touch with my students. To gain a better understanding of my own creative practice and the intersection with my pedagogic practice, I have undertaken an autoethnographic exploration of my identity as creative artist and designer, and as university educator. I produce numerous objects during the creative design process and my office/studio is filled with these artefacts. It occurred to me that there might be meanings contained within these objects that could influence my creative and pedagogic practice. So I set out to analyse the things that line my office walls. The research questions that guided my research were: a) Which are my significant creative outputs/artefacts, and why do I consider them to be important? b) How does my self manifest in these significant creative outputs/artefacts? and c) What are the pedagogic implications of an enhanced awareness of self in creative practice? As an artist and creative designer, I often stage and participate in exhibitions. So I decided to analyse the objects that I produced for these exhibitions to see what I could find. I developed an autoethnographic self-interview method using denotative prompts and connotative responses, which enabled me to reveal an underlying network of connections that culminated and intersected within the objects. On analysing the significances, I was able to recognise aspects of my creative process and arrive at an understanding of creativity that allowed me to engage fruitfully with factors that could influence the development of creative ability. The elements I identified within my own creative practice, using the self-interview, related to the meandering nature of creativity, the role serendipity plays, and the extent to which I draw on personal experience as a source of inspiration. The primary original contribution of this thesis lies in the development, refinement and use of the autoethnographic self-interview. When I considered these insights in terms of my pedagogic practice I realised that I could pay more attention to the diversity of my students, to the heterogeneity that manifested in the classroom . I recognised that this approach could help me acknowledge the emergent nature of v creativity, particularly if I wanted to encourage my students to use their own personal experiences as a foundation for creative design. By inviting this personalised approach I would, of necessity, have to make them aware of the nature of serendipity, of the ‘happy accidents’ in daily life (and creative design), and the usefulness of this phenomenon when aiming for innovation, or in a better word, creativity.
Cultivating an integrated learning approach to early childhood mathematics: a teacher educator’s self-study.
(2020) Kortjass, Dimakatso Lynette Patricia.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
To improve my practice as a newly appointed teacher educator at a South African university, I conducted a self-study project focused on exploring an integrated learning approach (ILA) in early childhood mathematics teacher education. I wanted to become a change agent by assisting pre-service teachers in developing a genuine interest in mathematics and seeing it within their reach. I hoped that they would then be inspired to do the same for their prospective learners. My primary research question was: How can I cultivate an integrated learning approach to Early Childhood Mathematics in my teacher education practice? I used four self-study methods to address the research aim: personal history, arts-based explorations, a developmental portfolio, and memory work. I recalled how I learnt mathematics from a young age and my experiences of teaching mathematics to young children and pre-service teachers. I engaged four groups of pre-service teachers to explore an integrated learning approach using arts-based methods to enhance mathematical concepts and pedagogical content knowledge. By embedding my study within a sociocultural perspective, I was motivated to acknowledge my pre-service teachers’ lived experiences and cultural backgrounds to strengthen their mathematical knowledge and pedagogy. Various critical friends helped me gain confidence in myself, and their compassionate critiques enhanced my understanding of my purpose and my ability to work. Having completed this project, I now add my voice to other South African scholars in mathematics integration conversations, especially in early childhood mathematics teacher education. This study also contributes to the hitherto limited body of research conducted by mathematics teacher educators in the early childhood discipline. Moreover, I have brought mathematics and the arts together through hands-on arts-based activities. This manuscript is presented in a colourful, engaging and unique way using collages and metaphors that embody early childhood mathematics practices in teacher education. The thesis itself is an artefact of the integrated approach to mathematics teaching in early childhood and in teacher education.
Cultivating intrinsic motivation for learning technology : a teacher's self-study.
(2014) Magubane, Sifiso Eric.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
The purpose of this self-study was to explore how I as a teacher could cultivate intrinsic motivation among my learners so as to make learning Technology more enjoyable and interesting for them. I was concerned because learners in my school seemed demotivated. I used self-determination theory (SDT) and Ubuntu as theoretical perspectives to guide me. The use of a shield metaphor helped me to bring these two theoretical perspectives together. I was the main participant in the study. The other participants were 33 Grade 9 learners and three critical friends (fellow Master of Education students), two of my former high school friends, as well as my Facebook friends. In generating data, I employed the methods of: memory-work self-study; developmental portfolio self-study; and arts-based self-study. I used memory-work to re-examine and reflect on motivational and demotivational events that occurred in my life as a learner. To access significant memories, I used: storytelling; memory drawing; artefact retrieval; poetry writing and journal writing. Through memory-work, I identified five key themes: a) buoyancy; b) challenges and emotional scars; c) self-esteem; d) appreciation; and e) friendship, communion and community support. From these themes, I drew lessons for cultivating intrinsic motivation for learning. To follow, I built on principles of SDT and Ubuntu to develop alternative teaching strategies for cultivating intrinsic motivation among my learners. The use of multiple strategies of teaching and including game elements and fun in the teaching and learning process helped to enhance learners‟ motivation. Furthermore, through collage-making and oral presentations, I encouraged learners to express their feelings about what motivated them and what demotivated them. I categorised their responses into motivators: a) feeding; b) learning computers; c) sports; and d) caring teachers and demotivators: a) no smile from teachers and corporal punishment; and b) weapons, drugs and teenage pregnancy. Self-study enabled me to re-examine my past and present personal and professional experiences. I had a chance to learn from my personal history and there was also a healing process that took place within me. Engaging in self-study gave me a chance to consider how and why I respond the way I do to certain situations that I face as a teacher. I have learned that providing care and support for learners is central to intrinsic motivation, especially when learners experience many demotivating factors in their daily lives.
Cultivating supportive teacher-learner relationships: a teacher's self-study.
(2016) Phewa, Nontuthuko.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
My research focus was on supportive relationships between teachers and learners. I therefore, aimed to better understand and evaluate my relationships with my grade 1 learners and to improve my teaching practice by cultivating supportive relationships with them. Adopting a sociocultural theoretical perspective on teaching and learning helped me to understand that learning is culturally and socially constructed, which means that it is important to pay attention to learners’ social and cultural backgrounds and circumstances, so that I can draw on what they already know to stimulate their thinking and learning and to offer them appropriate support. The first question that guided my research was: What can I learn from my personal history about supportive relationships? This question helped me to look back on my past relationships inside and outside of school; for instance, I looked at support that I received from parents, teachers and friends, and how this support managed to drive or motivate me to finish school. My second research question was: How can I cultivate supportive teacher-learner relationships? In responding to this question, I worked with my learners on various lessons whereby learners’ classwork activities enabled me to interpret how they viewed teacher-learner relationships. I was the main participant in the study. I also worked with my 37 grade 1 learners and two of my former school friends. Throughout my self-study research process, I also worked closely with my two of my fellow Master’s students. Data were generated using five research practices: a) artefact retrieval; b) reflective journal writing; c) drawing; d) collage; and e) audio recording of lessons and conversations. From my self-study research, I discovered that learners should be the center of learning and that it is vital that we teachers consider carefully any social-emotional factors that might inhibit teaching and learning. Thus, learners need to feel close to us teachers; this means they need to be sure that they can trust and rely on us to listen to them and take seriously their little needs. Hence, a key part of teacher self-development is to be able give yourself time to constantly learn about your learners’ needs and concerns and to make changes in response to those needs and concerns that will improve teaching and learning.
Developing as subject specialists in a rural school: narratives of novice teachers.
(2023) Ngcobo, Nokuphila Thobeka.; Pillay, Daisy.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
his study explored the lived stories of two novice qualified teachers who taught in a rural school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study's primary purpose was to understand what factors influenced their lived experiences as developing subject specialists. Thus, the study did not intend to bring about change regarding the participants’ shared stories but rather gain insight into their lived experiences. I was prompted to conduct this study by my own early experiences when I first entered a rural classroom as a novice teacher and my personal motivation to develop as a subject and classroom specialist in the first three years of teaching. The study adopted a qualitative interpretivist approach, allowing the participants to be as expressive as they wished in their storied narratives. The qualitative interpretivist approach enabled me to obtain rich information, which assisted me in gaining a deep understanding of the participants’ professional lives through their shared stories as newly employed teachers in a rural school. A qualitative approach, specifically narrative inquiry, elicited thick descriptions that embraced the participants’ subjectivity. Three data-generating methods were used: journal writing, drawings of rich pictures, and an open-ended telephonic interview. These three methods enabled the participants to share their memories and to reflect on their unique personal and professional journeys towards becoming subject specialists. My analysis of the lived stories suggests that novice teachers find it relatively easier to adapt to a rural school if they have been previously exposed to such a setting. However, novice teachers can experience a cultural shock when they have to immerse themselves in a rural setting if they have never experienced it before. I found that networking within and outside the school plays a vital role in the development and growth of novice teachers. Other findings include that an ineffective mentoring culture may cause frustration among newly qualified teachers, while a well-established networking system will support and sustain them. The overall implication is that the novice teachers in this study fully understand the demands on them as developing subject specialists; they do all they can to engage in continuous development by acquiring enhanced skills, knowledge, and values from both human and online resources. My analysis of the storied narratives taught me that these novice teachers are willing to learn more about their subjects, especially if they know that they lack some content knowledge even though they are fully qualified. They appreciate networking relationships with more experienced teachers, which also enhances their personal and professional development.
Exploring children’s popular culture as a resource for English creative writing in an isiZulu-speaking Grade 6 class: a teacher’s self-study.
(2021) Madondo, Siphiwe Bafana.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am an isiZulu-speaking teacher in a primary school in a semi-rural area, serving an isiZulu-speaking community. The school uses English as a medium of instruction, and it is taught as a First Additional Language. My study aimed to explore children’s popular culture as a resource for teaching and learning English creative writing in my Grade 6 class. A sociocultural theoretical perspective helped me understand teaching and learning as culturally and socially constructed. My methodological approach was self-study of practice. I was the primary research participant, and the other participants were the learners in my class. I worked closely with three critical friends (fellow teachers and doctoral students). My first research question was, What can I learn about children’s popular culture and creative writing from my childhood memories? In response, I recalled my past experiences of children’s popular culture to learn from them as a resource for teaching creative writing. I also explored my own past experiences relevant to the teaching and learning of creative writing. I recalled and narrated my fun experiences as well as memorable educative experiences using self-study methods, i.e., memory drawing and artefact retrieval. My second question was, What can I learn through exploring children’s popular culture as a resource for teaching and learning English creative writing in an IsiZulu-speaking Grade 6 Class? In response to this question, I conducted English, Social Science and Technology lessons that integrated children’s popular culture content as a resource for teaching and learning creative writing. I provided a detailed description of what transpired during the teaching and learning with examples of classwork produced by learners. I employed collage and poetry as arts-based methods to analyse and reflect deeply in searching for meaningful answers. This study enabled me to learn from my learners as they taught me about what was in their hearts. I experienced how popular culture content and forms can elicit creative writing and keep children motivated and inspired. Self-study encouraged and empowered me to improve the way I teach. Furthermore, this study has recognised the significance of children’s perspectives and expertise and considered them as valued partners in educational research and practice.
Exploring collaborative learning: a university educator’s self-study.
(2020) Dhlula-Moruri, Mandisa Nonceba.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am a university educator involved in preservice teacher education. This thesis presents the self-study project that I conducted to explore my personal and professional history of collaborative learning and my understanding of how I could apply my new knowledge in a tertiary teacher education context. My first research question was, What can I learn about collaborative learning from my personal history? To address this question, I went back over my personal history and looked for incidences when I learned collaboratively. My second question was, What can I learn about collaborative learning from my professional practice? For this question, I traced my choice of profession, my training, and my journey as a teacher/lecturer and lifelong learner to illuminate times of collaborative learning. As I engaged in this self-study project, I explored collaborative learning through the theoretical lenses of social constructivism and socio-culturalism. These perspectives on learning assisted me in recognising and acknowledging the power of the collective in raising children and in the classroom and university/school context as well. I also learned the importance of my culture, my upbringing, and my family history as drivers of my learning experiences. I used the personal history approach in this self-study project to gain an understanding of my learning and, through reflection, to improve my teaching practice. I couched my study thesis in a visual arts-based format using an extended curated photo album. Photographs assisted me on my journey back to my history, but they also helped me to paint mental pictures as I engaged in memory recall and reflective work during the study. The self-study methodology is collaborative, and I, therefore, needed my family and students for data generation and my critical friends to listen to my ideas and progress and give support by offering critique and help to broaden my point of view. I presented what I learned about collaborative learning in the form of guides, based on what I came away with from my personal history narrative. These guides emphasise indigenous socio-cultural understanding, values, uniqueness, teamwork, and the nurturing of self-confidence and self-esteem in collaborative learning.
Exploring social and emotional learning in a grade 4 classroom: a teacher’s self-study.
(2020) Mkhize, Ntokozo Sibusisiwe.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am a teacher at a primary school in South Africa. This thesis presents a self-study project exploring social and emotional learning in my personal history and my Grade 4 classroom. I wanted to discover ways of improving my teaching practice to create a secure, compassionate, and loving learning environment. The first research question I asked was, What can I learn about social and emotional learning from my memories? This inspired me to revisit my childhood and adolescent experiences and reflect on learning engendered by my parents, teachers, friends, and other people. I evoked memories using personal history research strategies such as artefact retrieval, photographs, and narrative writing. In addressing my second question, What can I learn through exploring social and emotional learning in my Grade 4 classroom?, I offered a detailed portrayal of interactions during lessons in various subjects. I documented the lessons in my teaching developmental portfolio, which included journal entries and learners’ written and drawing activities. The classes were audio-recorded and photographed. As I engaged in this self-study project, I explored teacher learning and social and emotional learning from a socio-cultural theoretical perspective, emphasising the importance of working together in educational settings to make sense of collective and individual experiences. I was fortunate to work with three critical friends who helped me uncover different ways of making sense of my research and enhancing my teaching. The thesis presents seven themes that elucidate my understanding of social and emotional learning and implications thereof for teaching: 1. Social and emotional learning promotes self-awareness; 2. Social and emotional learning fosters a sense of belonging; 3. Social and emotional learning supports safe and nurturing environments; and 4. Social and emotional learning cultivates social and emotional relationships. 5. Social and emotional learning develops resilience and an optimistic approach; 6. Social and emotional learning is a source for emotional healing; and 7. Social and emotional learning encourages responsiveness to social justice. My study demonstrates how school children’s voices should be positioned at the forefront in teachers’ self-study research in ways that respect children’s dignity and perspectives and acknowledge them as key contributors.
Exploring the relationship between teachers' experiences and evolving teacher identities in post-apartheid South Africa : a narrative inquiry.
(2010) Varathaiah, Beverley Ann.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
This narrative inquiry study explores the past and present relationships between the personal and professional experiences of teachers and their evolving teacher identities. In this study, I take on the role of participant-researcher to work together with two other teachers in my school to share and study our personal and professional stories of lived experience in order to better understand how our teacher identities might be evolving in response to the South African educational context. The diverse contexts from which we have journeyed frame the different experiences that we share. In considering the question of how teachers’ past lived experiences might have shaped our teacher identities, I identify political, social, educational and economic forces as well as teacher and family legacies that have emerged from our personal and professional narratives. In looking at the question of how teachers’ current professional experiences might be affecting our evolving teacher identities, I highlight the daily lives of the teachers in this study, their influences and experiences, their inter-personal relationships, their passion for their subject and finally their future expectations that may or may not bring about change. Overall, this study draws attention to the value of teachers examining the personal and professional experiences that they have had in order to understand why they take on and project the identities that they do and how these identities might evolve and change in response to new situations and challenges.
Facilitating creative arts teaching and learning with Foundation Phase Teachers : a subject advisor's self-study.
(2015) Chiliza, Hypesia Zamile.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
The purpose of my self-study research was to explore how I as a Department of Basic Education subject advisor could better support Foundation Phase teachers in creative arts teaching and learning. I was concerned because, when visiting schools as one of my core duties as a Foundation Phase subject advisor, I perceived that creative arts did not seem to be given the attention it deserved. I began to question whether I was giving enough attention to creative arts when conducting workshops with Foundation Phase teachers. A socio-cultural theoretical perspective guided me in understanding that collaborative, inclusive support for creative arts teaching and learning could result in the development of competent and confident teachers of creative arts. I was the main participant in the study. The other participants were six Foundation Phase teachers. I also worked with critical friends (two of my fellow Master’s students and a lecturer). My two key research questions were: 1. What can I learn about creative arts teaching and learning through memory-work? 2. How can I better facilitate creative arts teaching and learning with Foundation Phase teachers? In generating data in response to these questions, I employed the research practices of: artefact retrieval; collage making; memory-drawing; journal writing; audio recorded group discussions; and taking photographs. I used the creative research practices of personal metaphors and self-portrait drawing to facilitate my meaning making. Memory-work self-study assisted me in remembering my lived experiences in relation to informal and formal learning and teaching of creative arts. From this, I realised that, in my facilitation of creative arts teaching and learning, I should pay attention to art forms from diverse cultural heritages, as well as to child initiated activities. In working with the teachers, I learned that creative arts workshops must be participatory, with sufficient time and materials to engage in active learning. Teachers must also be given opportunities to share their thinking and their teaching approaches. Three recommendations emerged as key to improving facilitation of creative arts with Foundation Phase teachers: (a) support for subject advisors; (b) more support for cluster meetings; and (c) participatory and practical workshops for teachers. My most important learning from the selfstudy research was that, although I am a subject advisor, the Foundation Phase teachers were able to enrich my professional learning; thus, if I want to grow professionally, I must be willing to accept other people’s criticisms.
Fostering holistic education in a science classroom: a teacher’s self-study.
(2020) Govindasami, Trisha.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am a Science teacher with less than 10 years under my belt. In this research, I aimed to look at how I could integrate holistic education intomy mainstreamScience class while still aligning my teaching with the prescribed curriculum. I chose self-study as my methodology, thus unravelling and examining myself and my teaching practice became a focal point. My research focus was on Natural Sciences. I was the leading participant, and the other participants were 29 Grade 9 Science students. This study was framed by a socio-cultural perspective, which enabled me to see students through the socio-cultural lenses, i.e., the diverse social and cultural aspects that influenced their development. As the teacher-researcher, this framework emphasised that I, too, did not learn in isolation. The first research question that framed my research was: How have my past experiences contributed to my interest in holistic education? I looked at my past experiences with the aid of artefacts, auto-biographical writing, and selfportrait drawing. This yielded insights into why I was a particular way in my classrooms and why I taught my Science lessons in a specific manner. My second research question was: How can I foster holistic education in my Science classroom? To answer this question, I worked with my Grade 9 students through adapted lessons that included many arts-based techniques. Data were generated using artefact retrieval, reflective journal writing, drawing, collage, and audio recordings of lessons and conversations. I found that my students enjoyed those specially adapted lessons and were able to gain confidence, and they grew in how they thought about Science. My final research question was: What is the value of fostering holistic education in a Science classroom? I looked at the benefits of pursuing a holistic path in Science education, paired with a drawing of my vision of extending this research into practice in my classrooms. Overall, self-study methodology helped me reflect on and make connections between my past lived experiences and the teacher I am now, enabling me to see the growth of the teacher I have become and wish to be.
The heart of the matter: a teacher's self-study of the emotional curriculum in the foundation phase.
(2014) Malek, Fatima Dawood.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
The focus of this self-study research was on understanding and attending to the emotional curriculum in my practice as a teacher within the Foundation Phase (grade 1-3). Taking a humanistic perspective in my study allowed me to understand the emotional curriculum as a process of attending to the inter-related emotional, academic and social needs of learners. The „heart of the matter‟ was a recurring metaphor, representing learners‟ and teachers‟ emotions, as well as heart-full teaching and learning. As the central research participant, I retraced and re-examined my own personal history and created strategies to facilitate the emotional curriculum in my grade 3 classroom. 23 grade 3 learners were also participants in the study. My critical friends, my fellow Master of Education (MEd) self-study researchers, participated by providing support and advice. I used the personal history selfstudy method to recall significant instances that shaped my personal and professional development. I used artefact retrieval, journal writing, memory drawing and family storytelling to assist me in remembering key experiences. Three main themes arose from my personal history narrative: a) affection, warmth and care; b) attentiveness and special awareness; and c) motivation and positivity. These themes offered me initial ideas that I extended in implementing the emotional curriculum. The developmental portfolio method enabled me to account for the enactment of the emotional curriculum. Through deep reflection into the implementation of the heart-full teaching and learning, three significant themes arose: a) heart-full communication; b) careful observation and special attention; and c) relationships. Through this self-study research, I became aware that there is a need for learners to obtain not only academic support at school, but also the emotional support that was mostly lacking in my own schooling, but that I did receive at home. This selfstudy research has made me realise that many learners experience emotional difficulties at school and at home and that they require assistance in learning to express and deal with these challenges. The emotional wellbeing of learners is the heart of education.
How can I effectively integrate sexuality education in my teaching practice in a grade 6 class? : a teacher's self-study.
(2007) Masinga, Lungile Rejoice.; Moletsane, Relebohile.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
This dissertation reports on the self-study in which I, as a practicing educator, reflect on my attempts at integrating sexuality education across three learning areas in grade 6 class over a period of one semester. Through the anonymous questionnaire, my grade 6 learners identified issues around sexuality that they would have liked to be taught. From this exercise, I then conceptualized a curriculum unit integrating the issues they identified. The dissertation documents and reflects on the process of my self-study of the process we went through during the curriculum unit, particularly in relation to integration of the controversial and complex issues around sexuality. It is from this reflection that I offer lessons learned from the process regarding, for example, dealing with emotions of self-study, the importance of teacher lives, and the capabilities that learners have in being effective partners in the learning process.
Improving continuing professional teacher development in the Foundation Phase: a subject advisor’s self-study.
(2020) Makhanya, Hlengiwe Delicia Bawinile.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.; Masinga, Lungile Rejoice.
I am a subject advisor in the Foundation Phase (Grades R–3) in the Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. For this study, the focus was on my practice and learning as a subject advisor concerning the continuous professional teacher development (CPTD) programmes for teachers conducted by subject advisors. I looked into how I, as a subject advisor, could better support teachers. This study was located within the methodology of self-study of practice, where I used an arts-based self-study approach. Since I was looking at myself in practice, I was the main research participant. The other participants were three other subject advisors and 13 teachers from three different primary schools. Three research questions kept me focused in this study: What are the lived experiences and perspectives of subject advisors in relation to CPTD? What are the lived experiences and perspectives of teachers in relation to continuing professional development? And How might I use insights into subject advisors’ and teachers’ lived experiences and perspectives to improve my understanding and practice of CPTD? I used multiple methods to generate and analyse data, including audio recording of discussions, reflective journal writing, self-portrait drawing, and collage. Throughout my self-study journey, I learnt from a sociocultural theoretical perspective and social constructivism. A sociocultural perspective assisted me in understanding teachers’ and subject advisors’ learning backgrounds. In understanding social constructivism, I discovered that teachers and subject advisors learn better if they interact as they construct knowledge together. Self-study enabled me to change as I had to go deep and examine my own practice and reconstruct my thinking about how I have conducted CPTD. I gained confidence and valuable insights into my practice as I came to understand more about teachers’ and subject advisors’ experiences of CPTD. This thesis demonstrates the power of self-study to facilitate a process of learning, whereby improvement in practice can be achieved as we discern context-appropriate ways of bringing about changes in offering CPTD in challenging circumstances. The study also demonstrates how we can start to value teachers’ voices and input in planning and facilitating CPTD programmes that are more inclusive and participatory, and that address teachers’ genuine concerns.
Influences on, and possibilities for, my English pedagogy: a narrative self-study.
(2017) Campbell, Bridget.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
This thesis reports on a narrative self-study through which I explore the influences on and possibilities for my pedagogy. Throughout the 32 years of my working life, I have been in the field of English education and have always felt that the pedagogy which I enact is quite ordinary. Over the years, I have taught English as a first language and as a second language in secondary schools in South Africa. I have also been actively involved in other phases of education and have taught in the field of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET). I lectured Communication at a University of Technology and am currently employed on a permanent basis as an English teacher educator at a university in Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. I aspire to model purposeful pedagogy that will inspire my students. In an attempt to make my enacted pedagogy congruent with that to which I aspire, my starting point was to write my personal history narrative in an attempt to understand my current practice and to identify possibilities for future practice. I was the main participant in the study and the other participants were my sister, my critical friends, my pre-service undergraduate students who volunteered, and my 2015 and 2016 honors students. My research text was my personal narrative and my reflective diary, conversations with my sister, peers and students as well as critical friend feedback served as my field texts. Additional field texts were student emails, assignments and lecture reflections. In the analysis of my personal history narrative, I used my disciplinary knowledge as I juxtaposed my personal narrative with literature and film. In the first layer of the analysis, my personal history narrative was analysed in the same way as I would analyse any other literary text and what was revealed was that more depth was required. This led to a second layer of analysis wherein I juxtaposed my personal history narrative with literature. The second layer of analysis revealed twenty-eight themes which I collapsed into three major dimensions of my pedagogy. A third layer of analysis followed and in this, there was juxtaposition of my personal narrative and film. My original methodological contribution is that of two creative analytic practices. The first being my layered literary analysis. After the layered analysis, I examined my undergraduate and post graduate pedagogy in an attempt to use the influences that had been expose to identify possibilities for current and future pedagogy. In doing so, I used a method of multi-layered pedagogic reflection which is my second creative analytic contribution.
Integrating cultural inclusivity in a grade 4 classroom : a teacher's self-study.
(2016) Mkhize, Ntokozo Sibusisiwe.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
The purpose of my self-study research was to explore integrating cultural inclusivity, particularly children’s culture. As an aspiring inclusive practitioner I wanted to explore and reflect on what I could learn about cultural inclusivity and children’s culture from my own personal history and how I could integrate cultural inclusivity and children’s culture in my teaching. I was drawn to the practice of inclusivity as a focal point for my research. White Paper 6 policy stimulated me to explore how I could include my learners and take into account all my learners’ needs, interests and cultural backgrounds. I looked forward to implementing diversity in my classroom and to learn from my learners. A socio-cultural theoretical perspective channeling my thoughts to the fundamental nature of children, how they bring in conceptual resources into the classroom and introduce their cultural and daily encounters into the classroom before learning or attending school. I took inclusive participation inspired by the Children’s culture perspective which was to bring in games, toys and interests into their learning. I was the main participant in the research study. My 37 learners were participants in my study. I also worked with two critical friends who were also doing their Master’s Degree in Teacher Development and my supervisor. My two research questions were: 1. What can I learn about cultural inclusivity and children’s culture from my personal history? 2. What can I learn about cultural inclusivity and children’s culture from my grade 4 learners? To respond to these two questions, I generated data through practicing: artefact retrieval; collage making, poetry, journal writing, audio-recording and taking photographs. From this, I discovered that, as teachers we need to emancipate and not cage our learners’ thoughts and ideas. I appreciated the feedback I received from my learners, their participation, activities and games. I also explored that in children’s culture there are daily adventures and challenges that stimulate heroic moments for them. Additionally, I learned that children can create their own learning resources through toys, games and live passionately through laughter, questions, smiles, curiosity and uncertainties. Teaching and learning is not predictable. My most imperative lesson from self-study research was I discovered that as a teacher I make mistakes and so I need to constantly question and reflect on my teaching methodologies and lessons. We are constantly learning from our own practices through inquisition, reviving ourselves and accommodating differences.
Journeys to self-knowledge : a participatory study of teachers as sexuality educators.
(2013) Masinga, Lungile Rejoice.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.; Francis, Dennis Anthony.
In the light of the HIV&AIDS epidemic in South Africa, sexuality education has become a vital responsibility for South African teachers. However, in many South African schools, there is a habit of silence where particular issues are off-limits and many teachers concede that they find it difficult to tackle sexuality-related topics. Hence, in this study, I engaged myself and a group of my fellow teachers of the Life Orientation learning area in a collaborative self-study inquiry to review who we are as sexual beings, how we understand sexuality and how this self-knowledge might affect our interaction with learners and our teaching of sexuality education. To take us on this collaborative journey of self-knowledge, we employed qualitative methods of storytelling, audio recording of conversations, reflective journaling, collage-making and letter-writing. This study revealed that although, as teachers, we have been positioned as knowledge bearers and pedagogic expects, who are expected to be capable of making appropriate choices for teaching sexuality education, our own personal relationships with sexuality influence the different positions that we adopt as we interact with the content and the learners. Through our collaborative inquiry process, we began to recognise and shift the various positions that we held on sexuality. We came to appreciate and show that our positions are flexible, as when we were within a safe, interactive environment that both respected the positions we brought into the process and encouraged critical re-thinking of these positions, we began to reposition ourselves. Through the study, we also became more aware of how we were positioning others through our actions and our words. We came to a realisation that learners, colleagues and parents also bring their positions on issues and thus they too need to be understood within their own contexts, for the improvement of sexuality education in schools. The study revealed how the challenging of teacher positioning, when done in a supportive, interactive environment, can result in a repositioning of the self that brings us closer to becoming the teachers we wish to be, as we collectively influence change.
Learning through teaching : a narrative self-study of a novice teacher educator.
(2007) Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.; Moletsane, Relebohile.
This thesis reports on a small-scale, qualitative study of learning through teaching in three postgraduate modules in Education at a South African university. In the thesis, I take a narrative self-study stance toward research and pedagogy to explore my lived experience as a novice teacher educator. I illustrate my research journey by tracing the development of my key research question and re-examining my research and curriculum design processes. I use the medium of a ‘narrative self-study research collage’ to represent and engage with a range of data derived from my experience of teaching in the three modules. The thesis makes two unique contributions to the education field. The methodological contribution is the use of a textual collage, which draws on visual and language arts-based approaches to educational research, as a medium for data representation. The creation of the collage and its presentation in this thesis contributes to the ongoing development and exploration of alternative forms of data representation in educational research. The conceptual contribution of the thesis is the conceptualisation of my teaching-learning-researching experience as educative engagement. This conception of educative engagement offers a new way of looking at pedagogy and research in academic teacher education. In addition to these two unique contributions to the field of Education, the thesis adds further understanding and impetus to the growing body of work that seeks to explore and value the teacher self and teachers’ self-study in the context of lived, relational educational experience.
Mentoring novice teachers in learner behaviour support: a deputy principal’s self-study.
(2020) Luthuli, Khulekani.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
I am a deputy principal and seasoned teacher in a multicultural urban South African school. I observed the many challenges that novice teachers encounter with compassion, and I understood their anguish when battling to manage learner behaviour in their classrooms. As I often wondered whether their plight was related to a lack of mentorship in the school, this self-study project focused on my own mentoring practice as a seasoned teacher and a deputy principal. Hence, the study’s purpose was to explore how I could improve my mentoring practice to guide novice teachers appropriately. To achieve this purpose, I sought the participation of novice teachers who were employed at my school. I also worked closely with three fellow doctoral students as my critical friends. A sociocultural theoretical perspective was foundational in the study because it was the platform from which I embarked to understand the phenomenon of novice teachers and how they should function and be supported in a school. My first research question was: What have I learned about mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support from my memories? In responding to this question, I recalled my own experiences of supportive and unsupportive mentoring. Addressing this question helped me evaluate the role I played – and should play in the future − concerning mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support. My second question was: What have I learned about mentoring novice teachers for learner behaviour support by engaging with novice teachers in my school? In response to this question, I engaged novice teachers in creative and participative discussions. By sharing our knowledge and ideas and giving feedback on the challenges and joys that the novice teachers experienced in their classrooms, I was able to put myself in their shoes. In this manner, I developed into a better manager and mentor as I understood novice teachers’ plight. Involving myself in self-study as a mentor and deputy principal enabled me to share my successes and frustrations regarding the induction of novice teachers into a school. My study offers a unique and motivational example of a senior teacher’s endeavours in self-study research.
Muslim female teachers enacting leadership: a collaborative self-study.
(2020) Khan, Rashida Bebe.; Naicker, Inbanathan.; Pithouse-Morgan, Kathleen Jane.
As a Muslim female teacher and Head of Department, I worked together with three other Muslim female teachers to explore the challenges of and opportunities for enacting leadership in personal and professional spheres. I considered leadership from multiple viewpoints, including an Islamic perspective and a feminist perspective. I also built on Grant’s model (2012) of teacher leadership to understand Muslim female teachers’ leadership in schools. Employing a collaborative self-study methodology, I used multiple data generation strategies: journal writing, memory drawing, collage making, story writing, letter writing and audio recorded discussions. The study was guided by two primary research questions: What are our experiences as Muslim female teachers of enacting leadership? What are the possibilities for enhancing Muslim female teachers’ experiences of enacting leadership? I discovered that Muslim female teachers are capable of leading in personal and professional spheres. However, they often experience impediments related to patriarchy, religion, and culture. Muslim female teachers’ voices are crucial in developing as leaders to express their views in decision-making, choices, and overcoming restrictions. Male and female family members, community members, and colleagues need to support Muslim female teachers’ leadership. Complimenting, affirming and validating Muslim women’s successes would strengthen female Muslim leadership and build Muslim communities. Religious and traditional Muslim values and practices should not be barriers to women’s leadership development and access to opportunities. Men and women in power within school communities should understand that Muslim female teachers possess the competencies to lead. Openings and support should be created for Muslim female teachers to take on wide-ranging leadership roles beyond the school’s confines. Overall, this study adds to essential methodological conversations about ethics in self-study research, particularly concerning collaborative self-study research on sensitive topics and with vulnerable participants. The thesis exemplifies how self-study researchers can take heed of the ethical significance of developing bonds, working with emotions, and using creative data generation practices. This study adds to the research literature, internationally and locally, on a particular group of vulnerable and marginalised women in teacher leadership, i.e., Muslim female teachers. To my knowledge, this is the first study in South Africa on Muslim female teachers’ leadership.