An investigation of pedagogical change with novel technology in fee paying and no-fee schools during COVID 19

Abstract

Following the reopening of schools after the national lockdown in March 2020, the DBE implemented the School Reform Plan to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on loss of learning and teaching in schools. To date, limited information is available on the extent to which these measures have impacted on pedagogical practices of teachers across the different poverty quintile schools. This paper reports on teachers’ perceptions of how novel technological tools, introduced  during the pandemic, altered their pedagogy practices across no-fee and fee-paying schools?  Data was obtained from 1098 teachers and analysed using Cultural Historical Activity Theory as the framework.  Findings indicate two broad, ideal pedagogical types that emerged in both no-fee and fee-paying schools from the use of technology into schools during COVID, reinforcement pedagogy and collaborative pedagogy. While reinforcement pedagogy is motivated by the need to cover the curriculum, collaborative pedagogy is motivated by the need to develop students’ understanding of concepts in class.