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Small classes and rotational timetables as effective curriculum-recovery teaching methods during Coronavirus-19 pandemic
Author(s)
Lehy, Davin
Date Issued
2024
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
When the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic broke out in South Africa in 2020,
many aspects of life, including the education system, were disrupted. Schools in
almost all countries were shut down to observe social distancing, which was meant to
prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. In South Africa, a hard lockdown of the
country was instituted during which teaching and learning came to a standstill, as
schools were shut down too. Nonetheless, teaching and learning continued in schools
that could afford to teach online. Schools that were unable to teach online suffered
immense loss of teaching and learning time, leading to their inability to cover the
academic curriculum. Initially, the implemented hard lockdown stopped all learning
institutions from learning in person on campus and this was later named Level Five
Lockdown. As infection numbers dropped, a lower level of lockdown was put in place.
Lockdown levels were numbered from level one to five, with one having the least
restrictions and level five having the most restrictions. Schools had to find ways to
recover the teaching and learning time lost to COVID-19 lockdown by adopting small
classes and rotational timetable strategies. Abundant research has been conducted
on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. However, there is
a dearth of research on the effectiveness of small classes and rotational timetables as
curriculum-recovery methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case
study research investigated teachers’ perceptions of whether and how these strategies
helped them to recover the academic curriculum lost during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Data was collected through open-ended Google Form questionnaires sent to 13
teachers in three Western Cape Education Department (WCED) schools that
predominantly had large classes before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data
was analysed thematically using colour-coding and emergent themes. Results
revealed that small classes and rotational timetables contributed immensely to the
recovery of the lost teaching and learning time. Participants reported on how these
strategies helped them to manage learner behaviours and offer individual attention,
both of which contributed to the quick recovery of lost teaching and learning time. They
further observed improved academic performance among learners, and that teachers
were more able to identify gaps in learners’ knowledge much more quickly and to
implement support plans more promptly than they had in large classes. Nonetheless,
5
participants reported encountering challenges that sought to threaten the
effectiveness of these strategies. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is
that since the COVID-19 pandemic is not the last pandemic that will occur, and due to
the threats of the climate change, the Department of Basic Education and schools
should have contingency plans in place for dealing with crises that can adversely affect
smooth teaching and learning in the future. More research is needed to investigate
other strategies that the other countries employed to recover the lost teaching and
learning time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
many aspects of life, including the education system, were disrupted. Schools in
almost all countries were shut down to observe social distancing, which was meant to
prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. In South Africa, a hard lockdown of the
country was instituted during which teaching and learning came to a standstill, as
schools were shut down too. Nonetheless, teaching and learning continued in schools
that could afford to teach online. Schools that were unable to teach online suffered
immense loss of teaching and learning time, leading to their inability to cover the
academic curriculum. Initially, the implemented hard lockdown stopped all learning
institutions from learning in person on campus and this was later named Level Five
Lockdown. As infection numbers dropped, a lower level of lockdown was put in place.
Lockdown levels were numbered from level one to five, with one having the least
restrictions and level five having the most restrictions. Schools had to find ways to
recover the teaching and learning time lost to COVID-19 lockdown by adopting small
classes and rotational timetable strategies. Abundant research has been conducted
on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. However, there is
a dearth of research on the effectiveness of small classes and rotational timetables as
curriculum-recovery methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case
study research investigated teachers’ perceptions of whether and how these strategies
helped them to recover the academic curriculum lost during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Data was collected through open-ended Google Form questionnaires sent to 13
teachers in three Western Cape Education Department (WCED) schools that
predominantly had large classes before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data
was analysed thematically using colour-coding and emergent themes. Results
revealed that small classes and rotational timetables contributed immensely to the
recovery of the lost teaching and learning time. Participants reported on how these
strategies helped them to manage learner behaviours and offer individual attention,
both of which contributed to the quick recovery of lost teaching and learning time. They
further observed improved academic performance among learners, and that teachers
were more able to identify gaps in learners’ knowledge much more quickly and to
implement support plans more promptly than they had in large classes. Nonetheless,
5
participants reported encountering challenges that sought to threaten the
effectiveness of these strategies. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is
that since the COVID-19 pandemic is not the last pandemic that will occur, and due to
the threats of the climate change, the Department of Basic Education and schools
should have contingency plans in place for dealing with crises that can adversely affect
smooth teaching and learning in the future. More research is needed to investigate
other strategies that the other countries employed to recover the lost teaching and
learning time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional information
Thesis (MEd)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2024
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