The importance of developing students' conceptual understanding of biological science in school i... more The importance of developing students' conceptual understanding of biological science in school is well established as a precursor to future development (Cachapuz et al. 2005). However, students continue to underperform in this important scholastic area due in large part to not engaging in the deeper concepts taught. In this article we investigate an interdisciplinary approach to teaching biology in a school in Brazil. We draw on the theoretical concepts provided by Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to unpack how interdisciplinary teaching, across different activity systems, can lead to shifts in the activity systems, with students developing a deeper conceptual understanding of biology. Seven teachers (from chemistry, biology, the arts, and geography) and 196 students form the participants in this study. Findings indicate that contradictions arising both within and between activity systems across the teaching contexts led to students' object shifting from merely covering the curriculum to developing a deeper understanding of biological concepts.
This paper outlines how one can use activity theory (AT) as an analytical framework to understand... more This paper outlines how one can use activity theory (AT) as an analytical framework to understand tool use and its attendant developmental impact in context by selecting object-oriented activity as the unit of analysis. While an understanding of object-oriented activity is central to activity theory, the notion of object is a frequently debated and often misunderstood one. The conceptual confusion surrounding the object arises both from difficulties related to translating the original Russian conceptualisation of object-oriented activity into English as well as from the different interpretations of the object currently in use within two contemporary approaches in activity theory. Further compounding the understanding of this notion as it relates to pedagogical practices within schools is its use as a predominantly interventionist tool in work settings to understand transformation rather than as a theory to explain activity in classroom settings. This paper sets out to develop a meth...
In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdo... more In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdown in the wake of an increase in COVID-19 infections. Academics had, in some instances, only one day to prepare for “emergency remote teaching”. Few academics had taught online before, as South Africa’s internet connectivity is not guaranteed in underprivileged areas, where 80 per cent of the population reside. The online move thus necessitated an entirely novel pedagogy for most academics, with high potential for an escalation of work-related stress and related illness, outcomes we have related in the wider sphere of workplace readjustment during COVID-19, to a state of “pandemia”. In this article, we report on an institutional case study where we surveyed n=136 academics from a university in the Western Cape, South Africa to learn more about impacts of COVID-19 on their work. The data analysis adopts Ryff’s (1995) theory of well-being. Findings indicate that the enforced lockdown due t...
Background: The need to meet the demands of education in the 21st century has seen Namibia move, ... more Background: The need to meet the demands of education in the 21st century has seen Namibia move, after democracy in 1990, from a segregationist educational system to an inclusive one in a bid to develop students’ capacities to think critically, particularly in science. Research indicates that cultural taboos can impact on how science knowledge is transmitted to and acquired by students.Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate whether and how cultural taboos impact on the teaching of science in a Grade 4 class in Namibia.Method: Using a single case study design, we investigate the impact of cultural taboos on students’ acquisition of concepts relating to sexual reproduction and excretion, focusing on the extent to which cultural taboos influence talk as a mediating tool.Results: Findings indicate that cultural taboos silence students and impede the teacher’s ability to unpack sensitive concepts in science, potentially creating misunderstandings.Conclusion: Cultural t...
This thesis addresses the question: how docs pedagogy vary. if at alL with the use of computers i... more This thesis addresses the question: how docs pedagogy vary. if at alL with the use of computers in four disadvantaged grade 6 mathematics classrooms in the Western Cape province of South Africa'? To address this question an exploratory multiple case study design allowed for the collection of data. in the form of questionnaires. interviews and. primarily, classroom observations over the course of a year in four disadvantaged schools. Four teachers and 149 students took part in the study. Drawing on the body of knowledge described as Activity Theory (AT). the thesis'develops a view of pedagogy as socially situated llsing the work
South Africa consistently lags behind other nations on international benchmarking tests of litera... more South Africa consistently lags behind other nations on international benchmarking tests of literacy, mathematics and, especially, science as illustrated in the low achievement outcomes on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tests. Research in the 21st century has shown that learning science at an early age is a predictor of scientific literacy later in life. The low science achievement in South Africa is impacted by several variables, however, one important aspect of students’ failure to acquire science reasoning skills lies in how they are taught science. Drawing on the work of Vygotsky, Hedegaard, Freire, and Feuerstein, this paper reports on an intervention using a novel pedagogical model to teach science in grade two classrooms. A comparative case study is presented where one teacher is trained in the novel pedagogical model and one is not trained to use this model. Both teachers teach in ...
This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It... more This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced.
Activity Theory (AT), arising from the work of the Soviet psychologist, Vygotsky and his colleagu... more Activity Theory (AT), arising from the work of the Soviet psychologist, Vygotsky and his colleagues, has presented scholars who are interested in child development with a fecund theoretical basis with which to understand how socio-cultural factors impact on developmental trajectories. The strength of this approach to studying teacher/student interactions in classrooms is found in its ability to situate general developmental principles in time and place. A current version of this theory developed by Engeström (1987) elaborates Vygotsky's work, providing a useful heuristic for analysing activity as a collective endeavour. However, while providing a useful framework for studying human activity, Engeström's activity systems work has yet to be fully operationalised in a classroom setting. Conceptualising pedagogy as an activity system, this paper elaborates an analytical framework for studying pedagogical practices in classrooms along the AT dimensions: viz. tools, rules, object,...
This paper investigates how a teacher in a rural school in Namibia teaches science. Of interest t... more This paper investigates how a teacher in a rural school in Namibia teaches science. Of interest to us is the nature of the classroom discourse in constructing scientific knowledge that is meaningful to students. We draw on the work of Vygotsky (1978) in order to understand teaching/learning as dialectically entailed and to understand the notion of scientific and spontaneous concepts as distinct from science concepts, and operationalise his pedagogical theory utilising Hedegaard's (1998) notion of the double-move in pedagogy as fundamental to meaningful engagement. Through a detailed analysis of one teacher's pedagogical discourse we show how the linking of scientific and spontaneous concepts can either facilitate or hinder learning. Our analysis points to the importance of co-constructing meaning in the class, between teacher and taught and illustrates how analogies and metaphors can fail to create meaning in a classroom if the teacher does not recruit the learners' own everyday concepts.
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2021
Mathletics is a networked mathematics software package that affords students the opportunity to s... more Mathletics is a networked mathematics software package that affords students the opportunity to solve problems. This software is extremely popular in the developed world (Day, 2013) and is gaining popularity in the developing world as a tool that can potentially impact students’ mathematics attainment. 25 years after democracy South Africa continues to lag behind the rest of the world in mathematics and science attainment (Isdale, Reddy, Juan & Arends, 2017). The use of computer-based software packages to meet the needs of developing students’ understanding of mathematics is, therefore, of interest in our context. However, research is clear that it is not technology itself that can lead to learning but rather, how this technology is used; that is, the pedagogical practices underpinning the use of technology serves to develop understanding. This study sought to investigate Mathletics ability to impact positively on student attainment as well as their understanding. Findings indicated...
ABSTRACT This largely theoretical paper traces the continued influence that the work of Vygotsky ... more ABSTRACT This largely theoretical paper traces the continued influence that the work of Vygotsky has in studying teaching/learning in schools. The advent of the 21st century has led to a call for novel pedagogical models to enable children think in ways pertinent to our technologically based societies. Currently, the 4th Industrial revolution is playing out against the backdrop of climate change, a rise in right wing movements, and a call for decolonial education to challenge the hegemony of a colonial worldview. This paper presents an argument for how Vygotsky and the Neo-Vygotskian’s work does not require a novel pedagogy, but rather, that we reclaim its relevance for the 21st century, illustrating how the concepts underpinning it can be used to decolonize contemporary pedagogy. The paper foregrounds aspects of Vygotsky’s work and draws on Hedegaard’s further developments to argue for a decolonial pedagogy that arises from this knowledge base. The problematic addressed in this paper relates to schooling in the 4th Industrial Revolution and suggests that schooling today must be about more than the acquisition of academic content; it must be geared toward developing critical, collaborative forms of thought capable of transforming both the child and the world. In this paper, I argue for the foundation of such a schooling in the work of Vygotsky and the Neo-Vygotskians, by articulating a decolonial pedagogy grounded on this body of work.
OBJECTIVE Neurologists and epileptologists are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst electro... more OBJECTIVE Neurologists and epileptologists are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst electroencephalograms (EEGs) are becoming more available in the region, interpretation is typically undertaken by non-specialist clinicians with limited or no training. This is a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on EEG training of non-specialist clinicians worldwide, assessing the efficacy of the training methodology and the curricula content. METHODS The published literature was searched for papers relating to EEG training of non-specialist clinicians worldwide (1/01/1989-30/06/2020). All regions of the world were included and assessed for content on efficacy of curricula and potential adaptability or applicability to resource-poor settings. The grey literature was searched using ProQuest and Primo databases and references from review articles. The websites of the International League Against Epilepsy, International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiologist, American Academy of Neurology and World Federation of Neurology were reviewed for reports (non-peer reviewed) which described roll-out and impact of novel EEG training curricula. RESULTS There was limited data. From 2,613 articles, 15 complied with the study question. Ten studies were performed on cross-speciality clinicians, four on neurology registrars and one on a combination of healthcare workers. There was diversity of curricula models used. The studies themselves lacked consistency and directness. A few training programs were trialled in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) and paediatric training was included in only two. An ideal training curriculum was not evident nor evaluated for resource-poor settings. However, diverse teaching models were reported and set the foundations for further development of EEG training curricula for non-specialist clinicians. SIGNIFICANCE There is a lack of access to education in EEG training and interpretation for non-specialist clinicians in LMICs. Existing models need to be expanded or adapted and evaluated for this population group.
South Africa's crisis in mathematics attainment is well documented (DBE, 2013; Spaull, 2014; WEF,... more South Africa's crisis in mathematics attainment is well documented (DBE, 2013; Spaull, 2014; WEF, 2014). To meet the need to develop students' mathematical performance in schools the government has launched various initiatives using computers to impact on mathematical attainment. While it is clear that computers can change pedagogical practices, there is a dearth of qualitative studies indicating exactly how pedagogy is transformed with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in a teaching activity. Consequently, this paper addresses the following question: how, along which dimensions in an activity, does pedagogy alter with the use of computer drill and practice software in four disadvantaged grade 6 mathematics classrooms in the Western Cape province of South Africa? The paper draws on Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to develop a view of pedagogy as socially situated. Four ideal pedagogical types are identified: Reinforcement pedagogy, which has the reinforcement of specialised knowledge as its object; Collaborative pedagogy, which has the development of metacognitive engagement with specialised knowledge as its object; Directive pedagogy, which has the development of technical task skills as its object, and finally, Defensive pedagogy, which has student regulation as its object. Face-to-face lessons were characterised as predominantly Reinforcement and Collaborative pedagogy and most computer lessons were characterised as mainly either Defensive or Directive.
Educational underachievement in gateway subjects such as mathematics and science is a continuing ... more Educational underachievement in gateway subjects such as mathematics and science is a continuing challenge in South African schools. In a bid to develop technologically competent mathematicians and scientists while addressing the shortage of teacher capacity in the country, the government has turned to computer technology to support and strengthen teaching and learning in disadvantaged classrooms. The assumption underlying the use of computers in these schools is that computers will enable students to cover the curriculum more efficiently and effectively, leading to improved performance. However, the extent to which a computer can impact positively on students' achievement depends on how a computer is used as a learning/teaching tool. I seek to illustrate the potential use of Activity Theory as a framework for understanding how teachers use technology to mediate the teaching and learning of mathematics in primary schools. To this end, I argue for an understanding of the notion of an 'object' as a methodological concept capable of tracking shifts within and between activity systems. Drawing on interview data collected from four case studies carried out in the Western Cape, South Africa, an account of teachers' perceptions regarding how pedagogy shifts across the different contexts of the traditional lesson and the computer laboratory is developed. I conclude by arguing that the strength of Activity Theory lies in its ability to enable one to understand learning as the complex result of tool-mediated interactions, rather than as something opaque, which happens in a student's mind.
The importance of developing students' conceptual understanding of biological science in school i... more The importance of developing students' conceptual understanding of biological science in school is well established as a precursor to future development (Cachapuz et al. 2005). However, students continue to underperform in this important scholastic area due in large part to not engaging in the deeper concepts taught. In this article we investigate an interdisciplinary approach to teaching biology in a school in Brazil. We draw on the theoretical concepts provided by Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to unpack how interdisciplinary teaching, across different activity systems, can lead to shifts in the activity systems, with students developing a deeper conceptual understanding of biology. Seven teachers (from chemistry, biology, the arts, and geography) and 196 students form the participants in this study. Findings indicate that contradictions arising both within and between activity systems across the teaching contexts led to students' object shifting from merely covering the curriculum to developing a deeper understanding of biological concepts.
This paper outlines how one can use activity theory (AT) as an analytical framework to understand... more This paper outlines how one can use activity theory (AT) as an analytical framework to understand tool use and its attendant developmental impact in context by selecting object-oriented activity as the unit of analysis. While an understanding of object-oriented activity is central to activity theory, the notion of object is a frequently debated and often misunderstood one. The conceptual confusion surrounding the object arises both from difficulties related to translating the original Russian conceptualisation of object-oriented activity into English as well as from the different interpretations of the object currently in use within two contemporary approaches in activity theory. Further compounding the understanding of this notion as it relates to pedagogical practices within schools is its use as a predominantly interventionist tool in work settings to understand transformation rather than as a theory to explain activity in classroom settings. This paper sets out to develop a meth...
In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdo... more In March 2020, the President of South African announced that the nation would go into full lockdown in the wake of an increase in COVID-19 infections. Academics had, in some instances, only one day to prepare for “emergency remote teaching”. Few academics had taught online before, as South Africa’s internet connectivity is not guaranteed in underprivileged areas, where 80 per cent of the population reside. The online move thus necessitated an entirely novel pedagogy for most academics, with high potential for an escalation of work-related stress and related illness, outcomes we have related in the wider sphere of workplace readjustment during COVID-19, to a state of “pandemia”. In this article, we report on an institutional case study where we surveyed n=136 academics from a university in the Western Cape, South Africa to learn more about impacts of COVID-19 on their work. The data analysis adopts Ryff’s (1995) theory of well-being. Findings indicate that the enforced lockdown due t...
Background: The need to meet the demands of education in the 21st century has seen Namibia move, ... more Background: The need to meet the demands of education in the 21st century has seen Namibia move, after democracy in 1990, from a segregationist educational system to an inclusive one in a bid to develop students’ capacities to think critically, particularly in science. Research indicates that cultural taboos can impact on how science knowledge is transmitted to and acquired by students.Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate whether and how cultural taboos impact on the teaching of science in a Grade 4 class in Namibia.Method: Using a single case study design, we investigate the impact of cultural taboos on students’ acquisition of concepts relating to sexual reproduction and excretion, focusing on the extent to which cultural taboos influence talk as a mediating tool.Results: Findings indicate that cultural taboos silence students and impede the teacher’s ability to unpack sensitive concepts in science, potentially creating misunderstandings.Conclusion: Cultural t...
This thesis addresses the question: how docs pedagogy vary. if at alL with the use of computers i... more This thesis addresses the question: how docs pedagogy vary. if at alL with the use of computers in four disadvantaged grade 6 mathematics classrooms in the Western Cape province of South Africa'? To address this question an exploratory multiple case study design allowed for the collection of data. in the form of questionnaires. interviews and. primarily, classroom observations over the course of a year in four disadvantaged schools. Four teachers and 149 students took part in the study. Drawing on the body of knowledge described as Activity Theory (AT). the thesis'develops a view of pedagogy as socially situated llsing the work
South Africa consistently lags behind other nations on international benchmarking tests of litera... more South Africa consistently lags behind other nations on international benchmarking tests of literacy, mathematics and, especially, science as illustrated in the low achievement outcomes on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tests. Research in the 21st century has shown that learning science at an early age is a predictor of scientific literacy later in life. The low science achievement in South Africa is impacted by several variables, however, one important aspect of students’ failure to acquire science reasoning skills lies in how they are taught science. Drawing on the work of Vygotsky, Hedegaard, Freire, and Feuerstein, this paper reports on an intervention using a novel pedagogical model to teach science in grade two classrooms. A comparative case study is presented where one teacher is trained in the novel pedagogical model and one is not trained to use this model. Both teachers teach in ...
This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It... more This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced.
Activity Theory (AT), arising from the work of the Soviet psychologist, Vygotsky and his colleagu... more Activity Theory (AT), arising from the work of the Soviet psychologist, Vygotsky and his colleagues, has presented scholars who are interested in child development with a fecund theoretical basis with which to understand how socio-cultural factors impact on developmental trajectories. The strength of this approach to studying teacher/student interactions in classrooms is found in its ability to situate general developmental principles in time and place. A current version of this theory developed by Engeström (1987) elaborates Vygotsky's work, providing a useful heuristic for analysing activity as a collective endeavour. However, while providing a useful framework for studying human activity, Engeström's activity systems work has yet to be fully operationalised in a classroom setting. Conceptualising pedagogy as an activity system, this paper elaborates an analytical framework for studying pedagogical practices in classrooms along the AT dimensions: viz. tools, rules, object,...
This paper investigates how a teacher in a rural school in Namibia teaches science. Of interest t... more This paper investigates how a teacher in a rural school in Namibia teaches science. Of interest to us is the nature of the classroom discourse in constructing scientific knowledge that is meaningful to students. We draw on the work of Vygotsky (1978) in order to understand teaching/learning as dialectically entailed and to understand the notion of scientific and spontaneous concepts as distinct from science concepts, and operationalise his pedagogical theory utilising Hedegaard's (1998) notion of the double-move in pedagogy as fundamental to meaningful engagement. Through a detailed analysis of one teacher's pedagogical discourse we show how the linking of scientific and spontaneous concepts can either facilitate or hinder learning. Our analysis points to the importance of co-constructing meaning in the class, between teacher and taught and illustrates how analogies and metaphors can fail to create meaning in a classroom if the teacher does not recruit the learners' own everyday concepts.
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2021
Mathletics is a networked mathematics software package that affords students the opportunity to s... more Mathletics is a networked mathematics software package that affords students the opportunity to solve problems. This software is extremely popular in the developed world (Day, 2013) and is gaining popularity in the developing world as a tool that can potentially impact students’ mathematics attainment. 25 years after democracy South Africa continues to lag behind the rest of the world in mathematics and science attainment (Isdale, Reddy, Juan & Arends, 2017). The use of computer-based software packages to meet the needs of developing students’ understanding of mathematics is, therefore, of interest in our context. However, research is clear that it is not technology itself that can lead to learning but rather, how this technology is used; that is, the pedagogical practices underpinning the use of technology serves to develop understanding. This study sought to investigate Mathletics ability to impact positively on student attainment as well as their understanding. Findings indicated...
ABSTRACT This largely theoretical paper traces the continued influence that the work of Vygotsky ... more ABSTRACT This largely theoretical paper traces the continued influence that the work of Vygotsky has in studying teaching/learning in schools. The advent of the 21st century has led to a call for novel pedagogical models to enable children think in ways pertinent to our technologically based societies. Currently, the 4th Industrial revolution is playing out against the backdrop of climate change, a rise in right wing movements, and a call for decolonial education to challenge the hegemony of a colonial worldview. This paper presents an argument for how Vygotsky and the Neo-Vygotskian’s work does not require a novel pedagogy, but rather, that we reclaim its relevance for the 21st century, illustrating how the concepts underpinning it can be used to decolonize contemporary pedagogy. The paper foregrounds aspects of Vygotsky’s work and draws on Hedegaard’s further developments to argue for a decolonial pedagogy that arises from this knowledge base. The problematic addressed in this paper relates to schooling in the 4th Industrial Revolution and suggests that schooling today must be about more than the acquisition of academic content; it must be geared toward developing critical, collaborative forms of thought capable of transforming both the child and the world. In this paper, I argue for the foundation of such a schooling in the work of Vygotsky and the Neo-Vygotskians, by articulating a decolonial pedagogy grounded on this body of work.
OBJECTIVE Neurologists and epileptologists are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst electro... more OBJECTIVE Neurologists and epileptologists are scarce in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst electroencephalograms (EEGs) are becoming more available in the region, interpretation is typically undertaken by non-specialist clinicians with limited or no training. This is a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on EEG training of non-specialist clinicians worldwide, assessing the efficacy of the training methodology and the curricula content. METHODS The published literature was searched for papers relating to EEG training of non-specialist clinicians worldwide (1/01/1989-30/06/2020). All regions of the world were included and assessed for content on efficacy of curricula and potential adaptability or applicability to resource-poor settings. The grey literature was searched using ProQuest and Primo databases and references from review articles. The websites of the International League Against Epilepsy, International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiologist, American Academy of Neurology and World Federation of Neurology were reviewed for reports (non-peer reviewed) which described roll-out and impact of novel EEG training curricula. RESULTS There was limited data. From 2,613 articles, 15 complied with the study question. Ten studies were performed on cross-speciality clinicians, four on neurology registrars and one on a combination of healthcare workers. There was diversity of curricula models used. The studies themselves lacked consistency and directness. A few training programs were trialled in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) and paediatric training was included in only two. An ideal training curriculum was not evident nor evaluated for resource-poor settings. However, diverse teaching models were reported and set the foundations for further development of EEG training curricula for non-specialist clinicians. SIGNIFICANCE There is a lack of access to education in EEG training and interpretation for non-specialist clinicians in LMICs. Existing models need to be expanded or adapted and evaluated for this population group.
South Africa's crisis in mathematics attainment is well documented (DBE, 2013; Spaull, 2014; WEF,... more South Africa's crisis in mathematics attainment is well documented (DBE, 2013; Spaull, 2014; WEF, 2014). To meet the need to develop students' mathematical performance in schools the government has launched various initiatives using computers to impact on mathematical attainment. While it is clear that computers can change pedagogical practices, there is a dearth of qualitative studies indicating exactly how pedagogy is transformed with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in a teaching activity. Consequently, this paper addresses the following question: how, along which dimensions in an activity, does pedagogy alter with the use of computer drill and practice software in four disadvantaged grade 6 mathematics classrooms in the Western Cape province of South Africa? The paper draws on Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to develop a view of pedagogy as socially situated. Four ideal pedagogical types are identified: Reinforcement pedagogy, which has the reinforcement of specialised knowledge as its object; Collaborative pedagogy, which has the development of metacognitive engagement with specialised knowledge as its object; Directive pedagogy, which has the development of technical task skills as its object, and finally, Defensive pedagogy, which has student regulation as its object. Face-to-face lessons were characterised as predominantly Reinforcement and Collaborative pedagogy and most computer lessons were characterised as mainly either Defensive or Directive.
Educational underachievement in gateway subjects such as mathematics and science is a continuing ... more Educational underachievement in gateway subjects such as mathematics and science is a continuing challenge in South African schools. In a bid to develop technologically competent mathematicians and scientists while addressing the shortage of teacher capacity in the country, the government has turned to computer technology to support and strengthen teaching and learning in disadvantaged classrooms. The assumption underlying the use of computers in these schools is that computers will enable students to cover the curriculum more efficiently and effectively, leading to improved performance. However, the extent to which a computer can impact positively on students' achievement depends on how a computer is used as a learning/teaching tool. I seek to illustrate the potential use of Activity Theory as a framework for understanding how teachers use technology to mediate the teaching and learning of mathematics in primary schools. To this end, I argue for an understanding of the notion of an 'object' as a methodological concept capable of tracking shifts within and between activity systems. Drawing on interview data collected from four case studies carried out in the Western Cape, South Africa, an account of teachers' perceptions regarding how pedagogy shifts across the different contexts of the traditional lesson and the computer laboratory is developed. I conclude by arguing that the strength of Activity Theory lies in its ability to enable one to understand learning as the complex result of tool-mediated interactions, rather than as something opaque, which happens in a student's mind.
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Papers by Joanne Hardman