Re-engineering teaching practice through reflexive practice and culturally relevant pedagogy framework

The shift towards Reflexive Practice and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) in teaching practice is critical for the 21st century teachers. In this article, we argue that reflexive teaching and culturally relevant pedagogy frameworks qualify to be used for promoting student knowledge in the teaching practice. For us, teaching practice, as a social tool, is not at all an independent process, disconnected and apart from the society it serves. It is our contention that there is dire need to reengineer teaching practice within the poststructuralist framework. Among others, teaching practice in Open Distance Learning (ODL) setting should be realigned to embrace ethnic groups’ cultural values, traditions, communication, learning styles, contributions, and relational patterns. We hold that politics of resistance, counter-hegemonic struggle and emancipation can be brought through reflexive practice and culturally relevant pedagogy. In this article, we use Bourdieu’s concept of reflexivity and Ladson-Billings’ framework of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy as a conceptual tool to unpack a shift towards pedagogies of reflection in teaching practice

How student teachers understand African philosophy

The question ‘What constitutes African philosophy?’ was first raised with the publication of Placide Tempels’s seminal work Bantu philosophy in 1959. Tempels’s book inevitably elicited considerable critical response from African philosophers, which culminated in a wide range of publications such as Wiredu’s (1980) Philosophy and an African culture, Hountondji’s (1983) African philosophy: Myth and reality, Oruka’s (1990) Sage philosophy: Indigenous thinkers and modern debate on African philosophy, Shutte’s (1993) Philosophy for Africa, Masolo’s (1994) African philosophy in search of identity and Gyekye’s (1995) An essay of African philosophical thought: The Akan conceptual scheme. It has been over 60 years since the publication of Temples’s book and there continues to be serious debate about African philosophy. This article sought to contribute to the debate on the various conceptions of African philosophy, but with a focus on the challenges of teaching African philosophy to Philosophy of Education students at an open distance learning institution in South Africa. This article discussed the tendency amongst undergraduate Philosophy of Education students to conflate and reduce African philosophy to African cultures and traditions, and to the notion of ubuntu, and sought to understand the reasons for students’ inclination to treat African philosophy in this way. It examined students’ background knowledge of African philosophy, their critical thinking skills and whether their official study materials are selected and packaged in a manner that, in fact, adds to the challenges they face. Finally, the article explored the ways in which Philosophy of Education lecturers can adapt their pedagogy to provide students with a better understanding of African philosophy

Quality Assurance in Virtual Learning Environments for Open Distance Learning

Quality assurance, as the fundamental pillar of higher education development, continues to remain an integral part of the e‐learning process. Most importantly, it influences reforms in higher education institutions globally. This chapter departs on the assumptions that (1) quality assurance, as power relations construct, is not free from cultural hegemony and (2) quality assurance in virtual learning environments should be guided and informed by Paulo Freire\u27s humanizing pedagogy. In this chapter, we shall argue that quality assurance is both a philosophical problem and a policy imperative that is critical for the internationalization and globalization of higher education, more specifically virtual learning environments. We will further argue that the emphasis placed on the importance of quality assurance in virtual learning practices has been blind‐spotted by the fact that quality assurance can be viewed as agent of cultural hegemony and cultural reproduction of capitalist societies. While we agree with all the positive elements attributed to quality assurance in virtual learning, we argue that they should be characterized by humanizing pedagogy and the international dimension (exchange of knowledge and interactive networking) and cultural hybridity

Social capital and open distance e-learning: a Bourdieusian and Marxian discourse

A growing number of social scientists have invoked the idea of social capital in the search for answers to a broadening range of questions being confronted in the wide range of social science disciplines. With this in mind, this article explores the use of social capital as theoretical lens in understanding Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) from a Bourdieusian and Marxian perspective. We depart from the assumption that concepts of social capital, ODeL, educational outcomes and throughput rate are intimately connected. We argue that the dynamics of social capital in ODeL are not only influencing students but are also capable of changing the structure of educational outcomes, high throughput rate and social reproduction

Inequalities in higher education in low‐ and middle‐income countries:A scoping review of the literature

Motivation:  Higher  education  is  regarded  as  a  key  instrument  to  enhance  socioeconomic  mobility  andreduce inequalities. Recent literature reviews have examined inequalities in the higher education systemsof  high-income  countries,  but  less  is  known  about  the  situation  in  low-  and  middle-income  countries,where higher education is expanding fast.Purpose:  The  article  reviews  the  academic  literature  on  higher  education  in  low-  and  middle-incomecountries using a research framework inspired by social justice and capability approaches. It considers the financial,  socio-cultural,  human,  and  political  resource  domains  on  which  people  draw,  and  how  they relate to access, participation, and outcomes in higher education.Methods: A literature search for studies explicitly discussing in-country  inequalities  in  higher  education revealed  22  publications. Substantial  knowledge  gaps remain,  especially  regarding  the  political  (and decision-making)  side  of  inequalities;  the  ideologies  and  philosophies  underpinning  higher  education systems; and the linkages between resource domains, both micro and macro.Findings:  The  review  highlights  key  elements  for  policy-makers  and  researchers:  (1)  the  financial  lens alone  is  insufficient  to  understand  and  tackle  inequalities,  since  these  are  also  shaped  by  human  and other non-financial factors; (2) socio-cultural constructs are central in explaining unequal outcomes; and (3) inequalities develop throughout one’s life and need to be considered during, but also before and afterhigher education.  The scope  of  inequalities  is  wide, and  the literature  offers a  few ideas  for short-term fixes such as part-time and online education.Policy implications: Inclusive policy frameworks for higher education should include explicit goals related to (in)equality,  which  are  best  measured in  terms  of  the  extent  to  which  certain  actions  or  choices are feasible for all. Policies in these frameworks, we argue, should go beyond providing financial support, and also address socio-cultural and human resource constraints and challenges in retention, performance, and labour market outcomes. Finally, they should consider relevant contextual determinants of inequalities.</p

Addiction in the Light of African Values: Undermining Vitality and Community

In this article I address the question of what makes addiction morally problematic, and seek to answer it by drawing on values salient in the sub-Saharan African philosophical tradition. Specifically, I appeal to life-force and communal relationship, each of which African philosophers have at times advanced as a foundational value, and spell out how addiction, or at least salient instances of it, could be viewed as unethical for flouting them. I do not seek to defend either vitality or community as the best explanation of when and why addiction is immoral, instead arguing that each of these characteristically African values grounds an independent and plausible account of that. I conclude that both vitalism and communalism merit consideration as rivals to accounts that Western ethicists would typically make, according to which addiction is immoral insofar as it degrades rationality or autonomy, as per Kantianism, or causes pain or dissatisfaction, à la utilitarianism