Teacher knowing or not knowing about students
Based on a critical ethnography of an urban high school that exemplifies the many changes of post-apartheid South Africa, this paper presents data about two teachers who propose opposing perspectives and practices of knowing students. The analysis of the teachers' narratives shows that they cam...
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Education Association of South Africa
2015-08-01
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doaj-d1fb5167403e4d73907d9d49a059b3662020-11-24T23:05:07ZengEducation Association of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Education2076-34332015-08-013531910.15700/SAJE.V35N3A1S0256-01002015000300001Teacher knowing or not knowing about studentsNyna Amin0Renuka Vithal1University of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalBased on a critical ethnography of an urban high school that exemplifies the many changes of post-apartheid South Africa, this paper presents data about two teachers who propose opposing perspectives and practices of knowing students. The analysis of the teachers' narratives shows that they came to know their students through solicited, unsolicited and professional knowing processes. A surprise finding for successful teaching, in what may be considered difficult yet not uncommon conditions of schooling in South Africa, is that knowing about students can be dangerous, and that not knowing students can be useful for teachers. These counter-intuitive findings are generative of questions requiring further exploration.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002015000300001&lng=en&tlng=encritical ethnographynot knowing studentssuccessful teachingteacher knowingurban school |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nyna Amin Renuka Vithal |
spellingShingle |
Nyna Amin Renuka Vithal Teacher knowing or not knowing about students South African Journal of Education critical ethnography not knowing students successful teaching teacher knowing urban school |
author_facet |
Nyna Amin Renuka Vithal |
author_sort |
Nyna Amin |
title |
Teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
title_short |
Teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
title_full |
Teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
title_fullStr |
Teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
title_full_unstemmed |
Teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
title_sort |
teacher knowing or not knowing about students |
publisher |
Education Association of South Africa |
series |
South African Journal of Education |
issn |
2076-3433 |
publishDate |
2015-08-01 |
description |
Based on a critical ethnography of an urban high school that exemplifies the many changes of post-apartheid South Africa, this paper presents data about two teachers who propose opposing perspectives and practices of knowing students. The analysis of the teachers' narratives shows that they came to know their students through solicited, unsolicited and professional knowing processes. A surprise finding for successful teaching, in what may be considered difficult yet not uncommon conditions of schooling in South Africa, is that knowing about students can be dangerous, and that not knowing students can be useful for teachers. These counter-intuitive findings are generative of questions requiring further exploration. |
topic |
critical ethnography not knowing students successful teaching teacher knowing urban school |
url |
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002015000300001&lng=en&tlng=en |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT nynaamin teacherknowingornotknowingaboutstudents AT renukavithal teacherknowingornotknowingaboutstudents |
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1725627481112707072 |