Page 75 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

EDUCATION

tensions generated by embedding indigenous knowledge in
teaching and learning because it is not just about adding a new
knowledge area it requires instilling a whole new critical indigenous
consciousness.

She quotes curriculum specialist Dr Hollie Kulago from the Faculty
of Education, Pennsylvania State University, whose research
focuses on critical indigenous curriculum and pedagogy, who
says: “Indigenous knowledge cannot be easily embedded without
disrupting Eurocentric hegemony in the content of the curriculum.”

Given the multicultural and multilingual nature of South African
classrooms, we need teachers who are conscious of mediating
learning and knowledge in diverse classroom contexts. Hence, the
whole teaching and learning space needs to encourage students to
question their assumptions and beliefs about knowledge. “Perhaps

Language as a
social justice issue

“Drawing on the views of Brazilian educator
and philosopher Paulo Freire, who was a
leading advocate of critical pedagogy and
the non-neutrality of education, we believe
that the curriculum is a space of power,
political contestation, caring and debate, and
therefore should be taken into consideration
in thinking about language as a social justice
issue. Furthermore, we highlight the dangers of Professor Nokhanyo Mdzanga
reproducing inequalities through the curriculum the starting point should be for students to define what they count
and the complexities surrounding the issue of as knowledge and how they grapple with locating the concept in
language as a tool for social justice and social their teacher preparation curriculum,” says Prof Mdzanga.
change.” – Prof Mdzanga and Dr Muki Moeng
(Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education) from “The desired goal would be a curriculum that enables student
the February 2021 webinar Critical perspectives teachers across all disciplines to be critical educators. Such a
on language as a social justice issue in postcolonial curriculum, I argue, would empower teachers to critique the
higher education institutions. epistemological issues that exist in teacher education and enable
Prof Mdzanga and the Faculty of Education them to effect change in what, how and why they teach.
redesigned the isiXhosa module of the Foundation
Phase teaching degree so that from 2019 it has “These critical issues and challenges in education need to
been taught over the full four years instead of be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. It would be
only in the first year. She says: “If education in interesting to learn how different faculties think about locating
general is to embrace a decolonised, humanising indigenous knowledge in the curriculum and how they address the
pedagogy, we are compelled to foreground decolonisation of the curriculum as a student project area in the
African languages in the Foundation Phase teacher course.”
preparation curriculum in order to develop a new
generation of teachers who use African languages Prof Mdzanga quotes Zimbabwean educators Lincoln Moyo and
in the classroom. This is all the more critical given Lillie Beth Hadebe who say: “Teacher education preparation
the growing number of English and Afrikaans- programmes should take into consideration the philosophies that
speaking student teachers who will teach in underpin their curriculum. It is common knowledge that African
multilingual classrooms.” philosophy is barely used to raise consciousness about issues
of identity, culture, thought and civilisations. It is questionable
whether teaching and learning approaches used in teacher
education make it explicit that skills and values, such as respect
and work ethic, are bolstered by African philosophy.”

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