Creative interventions : an integrated arts based pedagogical approach in the workplace preparation classroom of the extended access programme at the University of Johannesburg

Abstract: This study evaluates how the integrating of arts based approaches in my teaching practice can be used to both expand my practice and to utilise the capability of the Workplace Preparation Programme (WPP) to achieve a more equitable and accessible curriculum. I am concerned with promoting appropriate changes in the classroom in order to foster a more egalitarian and democratic value system in the teacher/learner relationship which promotes individual and collective freedoms. I integrate arts based methods in my pedagogical practice in order to expand the modes for communication and meaning-making in the classroom: these methods include visual, performative, indirect, non-verbal and symbolic techniques. I contend that these teaching approaches are relevant for the contemporary multilingual classroom and more especially for teaching first-year students. Arts based methods can foster opportunities for multimodal learning and for developing the kinds of student capacities and relationships that can contribute to positive learning experiences...M.Tech. (Fine Art

Bringing Down the Oligarchy: Change-Making on Campus

Student groups working within a broader institution may experience positive outcomes, negative outcomes, or a mixture of the two. This research looks at the question of: what does the culture of student groups within the institution look like and how do they perform within a possible unsupportive broader institution? The problem at hand is the question under research, ‘Is the institution effectively guiding student-led groups attempting to implement change within the institution and on campus, or is the institution hindering the growth, impact, and importance of student-led clubs and boards on campus?’ Data was collected through qualitative interviews with student leaders at a private university in the Pacific Northwest. All data collected was thoroughly analyzed through the lens of structuration theory. The data uncovered themes of support/collaboration on behalf of the university, student/self-led initiative and engagement, and non-support. Although these findings look like separate entities, they influence each other. This research is crucial because it can help provide an understanding to the culture of student groups and how they interact with the broader institution that they operate under

Literacy Approaches in Montessori 3-6: An Action Research Project

The purpose of this research study was to examine connections between the early introduction of Montessori phonograms and increased student-led writing with the Movable Alphabet. This paper discusses the politics of literacy instruction and common literacy approaches used in Montessori early childhood settings, and examines best literacy practices for early childhood students. The study gathered data from Montessori early childhood educators and 19 students in a Montessori early childhood classroom. The classroom data was collected over four weeks, introducing phonograms alongside individual Sandpaper Letters. Children were then given the choice between using objects to guide their writing with the Movable Alphabet and writing their own words without object prompts. The findings indicate that when given the choice, children choose to write their own words. Based on the conclusions from this study, the Montessori education community could benefit from further study on literacy instruction and high-fidelity Montessori practice