Aug 2026· Turkish History Education Journal· 0 citations· 34 references
Abstract
This paper critically examines the teaching of History in secondary schools in rural and township contexts in South Africa, focusing on persistent learner disengagement within an increasingly digitised educational landscape shaped by the rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence. Drawing on constructivism, critical pedagogy and creativity as an integrated theoretical framework, the paper interrogates dominant pedagogical practices and historical narratives that continue to shape History classrooms amid rapid technological change. It offers a reflective and analytical discussion informed by existing scholarship, curriculum and policy documents, emerging debates on AI in education and the author’s professional experience as a History educator. It argues that traditional, teacher-centred approaches are increasingly misaligned with learners’ digital realities, limiting historical consciousness, critical thinking and relevance, advocating for a pedagogical reimagining of History teaching that foregrounds curiosity, creativity, humour, ethical digital literacy and the inclusion of multiple perspectives, positioning generative AI as a mediating tool rather than a pedagogical threat. By reconceptualising the roles of teachers, learners and knowledge resources in the 21st century History classroom, it contributes to ongoing debates on how History education can be made more inclusive, meaningful and socially responsive in the context of deepening technological and educational inequalities, particularly in under-resourced schools.
This study examines the transformation of theological pedagogy within digital learning environments, focusing on the shift from a transmission-oriented model to a dialogical, reflective, and transformative paradigm. Employing a literature-based approach that engages theories of theological pedagogy, reflective didactics, and digital learning practices, the conceptual synthesis suggests that digital spaces foster new forms of active learner engagement in constructing theological meaning. The analysis identifies three core conceptual transformations: (1) a paradigmatic shift toward participatory learning; (2) a theological reinterpretation of presence and incarnation beyond physical proximity; and (3) the emergence of digital space as a legitimate locus theologicus for experiencing and articulating faith. The discussion further highlights the relevance of Groome’s shared praxis and Klafki’s reflective didactics as foundational frameworks for designing pedagogical models that are both contextually grounded and transformative. Overall, this study contributes to contemporary discussions on theological education by emphasizing the need to reconstruct pedagogical goals, processes, and relational dynamics for the digital age.
Paulus Tnunay, Thomas Pentury, Wilson Rajagukguk· Greenation International Jou...· 0 citations
The pursuit of equity and social justice in higher education demands pedagogical approaches that transcend Western-centric traditions and legitimise diverse cultural epistemologies. This study examines Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) specifically in the Indonesian EFL context and intends to examine CRT as a pedagogical strategy and a way to problematise epistemological assumptions. Guided by the PRISMA 2020 framework and analysed through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) combined with document analysis), this research critically examines 22 documents. The findings indicate that, although CRT is recognised in national initiatives such as the Emancipated Curriculum and Emancipated Learning, its practical implementation remains uneven and largely superficial. At the classroom level, educators attempt to integrate indigenous knowledge, cultural identities, and local wisdom into English language teaching; however, these efforts are constrained by rigid, exam-driven curricula, limited professional support, and the pervasive influence of global English standards. The tension between internationalisation and localisation illustrates both the challenges and opportunities for CRT in reshaping Indonesian EFL education. Theoretically, CRT is positioned as a decolonial stance that resists epistemic hegemony while advancing epistemic justice by legitimising the ecology of knowledge. Practically, the study emphasises the urgency of aligning policies with CRT principles, expanding teacher training, and developing culturally sustaining instructional resources. By situating CRT at the nexus of social justice, decolonization, and global competence, this study contributes to global debates on inclusive and transformative education, highlighting its significance for the Global South and beyond.
Higher education in South Africa has been widely critiqued for privileging Eurocentric epistemologies that marginalise local knowledge systems and distance learning from the socio-political realities students inhabit. Such dynamics constrain students’ capacity to critically engage the historical and structural forces shaping identity, belonging, and wellbeing. Responding to these concerns, this study examines how a collaborative, arts-based pedagogical strategy centred on graffiti can advance more inclusive and socially responsive teaching practices for diverse student populations. Grounded in critical pedagogy and decolonial theory and informed by the group psychoanalytic concept of the social unconscious, the study conceptualises a graffiti installation as a participatory archive through which students explore the intersections of identity, power, place, and collective memory. A qualitative, participatory design was employed with 12 postgraduate students (7 psychology and 5 design students) across 2 private South African institutions. Through a series of facilitated workshops, participants engaged in critical dialogue, collaboratively created a graffiti installation in a public campus space, and reflected on the meanings embedded in the evolving artwork. Data were generated through the visual artifact, transcribed discussions, participant reflections, and facilitator notes, and analysed using iterative thematic and visual analysis. Findings indicate that the collaborative process enabled students to articulate complex experiences of identity, belonging, and mental health while situating these within broader socio-historical dynamics. The installation functioned as a dialogical and multimodal learning space that supported diverse forms of expression, legitimised experiential knowledge, and uncovered both visible and silenced tensions. The chapter’s original contribution lies in demonstrating how participatory visual methods can operationalise intellectual decolonisation in practice while advancing inclusive teaching strategies that engage cognitive, affective, and spatial ways of knowing.
S. Auld· International Journal of Stu...· 0 citations
In the face of escalating ecological crises and widening social inequalities, reimagining teacher education through eco-pedagogy becomes not only urgent but transformative. This article examines how eco-pedagogical principles can be embedded across a four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme at a South African university to cultivate ecological consciousness and social justice. Framed within Freirean critical pedagogy and implemented through Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR), the study positions teaching and learning as relational, justice-oriented, and situated within the more-than-human world. The Anthropocene, understood here as both an epochal crisis and an ontological condition that exposes the interdependence of humans and the earth, provides the conceptual context. Grounded in Indigenous and situated knowledges as the ontological foundation for eco-pedagogy, the research extends the 4B model (Bridging, Becoming, Belonging, and Being) to integrate ecological awareness, ethical responsibility, and community engagement throughout teacher formation. Drawing on collaborative data from lecturers, student teachers, community members, and in-service teachers, the study proposes a developmental framework that disrupts curriculum silos and redefines teacher education as a site of ecological activism and curricular decolonisation. The article contributes to emerging scholarship that links ontological reorientation, participatory praxis, and curriculum transformation as interdependent dimensions of justice-oriented learning in the Anthropocene
In contexts of growing social polarisation and cultural complexity, tertiary educators are increasingly called upon to move beyond celebratory multiculturalism towards critically informed intercultural praxis in preparing students for 21st-century classrooms. Drawing on a sustained transnational collaboration between Australia and Spain within initial teacher education, this paper adopts a collaborative autoethnographic approach to critically reflect on our pedagogical practices and their implications for culturally responsive music education. We examine how intercultural musical encounters, particularly those involving culture bearers, can foster cultural competence and critical reflection among pre-service teachers, while also generating tensions related to knowledge, cultural ownership, authenticity, and appropriation. Building on these reflections, we reconceptualise authenticity as a relational and dialogic process, co-constructed through interaction, mediation, and context-sensitive engagement. We propose a conceptual framework grounded in three interrelated dimensions: collaborative partnerships, relational authenticity, and dialogic mediation through educator facilitation. Together, these principles offer an ethically informed and pedagogically grounded approach to intercultural music education that moves beyond representation towards sustained, meaningful engagement with cultural diversity. By foregrounding the role of the educator as a cultural mediator and drawing on insights generated through sustained intercultural practice and prior research, this paper contributes to ongoing debates on belonging, inclusion, and the development of culturally responsive practices in contemporary music teacher education.
A. Cabedo-Mas, Dawn Joseph· Education sciences· 0 citations
Educational institutions worldwide are increasingly embracing curriculum reform through the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and technology, informed by their transformative impact on teaching, learning, and pedagogical practices. However, socioeconomic disparities and limited teaching resources encountered in the rural settings of the Global South, such as South Africa, hinder this transformation. IKS and technology offer a compelling opportunity to rethink mathematics education in ways that embrace global innovations while adapting to local contextual realities. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence on teacher preparedness, specifically how mathematics teachers' demographic, contextual, and professional training influences their ability to integrate technology and pedagogical indigenisation for mathematics curriculum transformation. Hence, this paper sought to examine how mathematics teachers can reimagine curriculum transformation through pedagogical indigenisation and technology in rural South African mathematics classrooms. To accomplish this exploration, the paper draws on data gathered from 95 purposively sampled respondents. We used a quantitative approach focusing on a survey questionnaire, guided by the positivist paradigm and underpinned by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and data analysis was achieved through the aid of descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that teachers exhibit different degrees of TPACK and TAM dynamics, mediated by demographics, professional backgrounds, and context-specific characteristics. The findings lead us to argue that the transformation of the mathematics curriculum is dependent on effective, inclusive, and sustainable teacher training that foregrounds both technological fluency and cultural responsiveness. This study contributes to curriculum reform discourse by emphasizing the need for teacher preparation programs that address the complex, evolving, and context-sensitive nature of teachers' TPACK.
Makhosi Madimabe-Mofokeng, Heloise Sathorar, W. D. Nubia· Journal of education· 0 citations