Exploring the Teaching and Learning Strategies Employed by Two Zimbabwean Secondary Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic (original) (raw)
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COVID-19 induced online learning: the Zimbabwean experience
African Journal of Social Work, 2021
Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought a lot of social, economic and political tensions worldwide, Zimbabwe included. All sectors of the social services were affected by the pandemic, the education sector also received its own fair share of challenges, as learners and educator's learning process, was affected by the pandemic. The COVID-19 induced online learning paper sought to bring out the experiences of learners and educators during the COVID-19 periods, laying out how the learning process took place, the challenges experienced, and the lessons learnt. In trying to answer the above stated problem the following objectives were used; to explore the experiences of learners and educators while conducting online lessons; to assess the challenges faced by both learners and educators when making use of technology. The study made use of a desk review and electronic media to collect data. The research found out that learners and educators in most government institutions could not make use of online learning after the closure of schools complying with the national lockdown period. Learners and educators in non-government institutions conducted online lessons but faced a myriad of challenges as the country was not well prepared for online learning. The study therefore recommends universal access to internet and for the government to partner with internet service providers so that it becomes accessible and affordable to the majority of the populace.
Covid-19 has changed the world order and created a new normal in all facets of life, including formal access to higher education. The closure of universities disconnected students from their everyday on-campus face-to-face teaching and learning practices. The authors explored the challenges Zimbabwean university students faced due to Covid-19 induced lockdown and their implications for education. The qualitative research was based on Obanya's (1987) Panic Approach in which planning and implementation of new untested innovative approaches and strategies were hurriedly implemented. The data were collected using online focus group discussion conducted via WhatsApp group chat platform. Forty (40) Bachelor in Education pre-service (secondary) students participated in the case study of one university as they discussed their lived learning experiences during the pandemic. The study found that students experienced many learning problems during the period. For instance, lecturers posted reading materials to students, but with very little opportunity for meaningful engagement in critical in-depth discussion and individual attention. Given the emergent phenomenon, the study recommends that the university critically reflects and considers how the teaching and learning intervention strategies and encounters through the online platforms could be enhanced to benefit students. In order to make the most of online teaching-learning opportunities, the study further recommends that the university engages in robust capacity building of both lecturers and students on online teaching and learning skills.
This study sought to assess the level of preparedness of lecturers and students in higher education institutions on the use of online and other innovative educational technologies in teaching and learning in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Preparedness for this study focused on both structural and psychological preparedness. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to the adoption of online and other innovative educational technologies for teaching and learning as institutions tried to minimize direct contact with students. The use of online learning in Zimbabwe was, however, not wildly institutionalised in most universities. The study employed the constructivist paradigm, qualitative approach and a phenomenology design. The study was underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model as propounded by Davis (1989). Three universities in western Zimbabwe were involved in the study. The sample comprised thirty university students and nine university lecturers who were purposively selected. The participants responded to open-ended questionnaires via WhatsApp. All ethical issues, particularly informed consent, the right to anonymity and confidentiality, were guaranteed. The results of the study revealed that lecturers and students' level of preparedness to use online technologies in the post-COVID-19 era was low, although they had positive views about the perceived usefulness of online technologies. It was also revealed that most lecturers did not possess the skills required for online teaching and, therefore, experienced demotivation. Challenges of lack of proper technological gadgets such as computers and laptops/smart phones, WIFI and reliable internet connectivity, were reported in the universities studied. The study recommends the following: that more workshops be done for both lecturers and students on how to effectively use online platforms for teaching and learning; that universities should use a hybrid of teaching methods which consist predominantly of online teaching pedagogies and a bit of traditional face-to-face lectures to ensure a smooth transition to online teaching; and that more studies be carried out to assess the level of preparedness on the use of online technologies in other educational institutions of Zimbabwe and using different groups of participants.
CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING VIRTUAL LEARNING PRACTICE IN ZIMBABWE SECONDARY SCHOOLS DURING COVID-19
2nd International Conference on NLP, Data Mining and Machine Learning (NLDML 2023), January 21 ~ 22, 2023, Virtual Conference ISBN : 978-1-925953-85-5, 2023
COVID-19 brought multiple challenges to the education sector globally. While introduction of virtual learning advanced benefits such as lowered costs of education, greater flexibility, easy access and reduced need for physical infrastructure in economically viable nations, many economically challenged nations in the Global South experienced risks and challenges from online education. This study investigated the challenges faced by the Zimbabwe education sector in integrating effective virtual learning practice into the secondary school system in Harare Metropolitan province since the advent of Covid-19. A triangulation of research methods including an online survey and key informant interviews conducted with curriculum specialists, teachers and learners, and a review of available literature, aided the collection of primary and secondary data for the study. NVIVO and grounded theory were used to analyse and organise the compiled data into thematic data sets, which were in turn used to theorise befitting findings for the study. Study findings established an array of challenges which reinforced each other to hinder effective learning during the lockdown. Substantial academic and policy research has focused on health specific impacts of Covid-19, while a few studies that have explored the effect of Covid-19 on education have not zeroed in on the context specific geopolitical risks of the pandemic on countries with challenged economies. This study seeks to contribute to this knowledge gap. The study proffers recommendations for improving preparedness for virtual learning in secondary schools during crisis times.
Exploring teachers' challenges of online learning in Covid 19 at rural schools in
2022
Using the Desktop research to analyze data and to generated a hypothesis, this research examines the issues learners from rural areas in South Africa experience in the circumstances of the pandemic, A new way of living and learning poses unprecedented problems for rural students. With the latter being characterized by the primary usage of internet. As employed participatory action research to gather data. For rural learners in South Africa, What are their educational challenges, and how may online learning will be improved in the context of COVID-19 because of limited access to high-speed internet? According to the study's' findings, In South Africa, people are relying heavily on strong internet connections as there is no end in sight of the current pandemic is impacting rural students more than those who live in cities.
RENOTE
COVID-19 pandemic forced most of the high education institutions to revert their teaching and learning process from face-to-face teaching system to the process of teaching and learning through the use of electronic platforms. Due to this situation, each high education institution has defined one or a set of electronic platforms to continue to guarantee the effectiveness of teaching classes during this period. It was from the above that this research was developed, which aimed to analyze the perception of teachers at the Pedagogical University of Maputo about accessibility and the use of electronic platforms as a resource to support face-to-face teaching during the term of COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that most of the teachers interact with the students via WhatsApp and Email through their mobile devices and laptops.
European Conference on e-Learning, 2023
COVID-19 has tested the organizational capacity of the education system in Mozambique, including the higher education level when it became mandatory to close all face-to-face teaching activities. To respond to this challenge and continue with the noble mission of teaching, the Catholic University of Mozambique implemented a hybrid model, specifically through digital platforms, even though it was aware of the various resource limitations on the part of teachers and students. This strategy would be determinant for a successful path to the purpose of "never stop teaching and learning." This paper attempts to answer questions that arose at introducing this new teaching model during the COVID-19: (i) What skills did teachers have to respond to ICT-mediated teaching? (ii) What strategies were used to circumvent the difficulties arising from COVID-19 for Teaching and Learning? (iii) What kind of skills, difficulty, and behaviour characterized the students to correspond to a 100% online teaching system? and (iv) What platforms and instruments were used to respond to this teaching model? The paper first seeks answers from exploratory interviews with teachers about the use of ICTs in teaching and learning and subsequently presents some challenges in three dimensions (institutions, teachers, and students) of which their consideration can lead to a path in the immersion of the technologization of teaching. In methodological terms, a qualitative approach was used, where interviews were conducted with a sample of teachers from this university who were part of the frontline of the process. The results show that for the case study, it was possible, to teach and learn through Moodle platforms, Google Classroom, interacting through Zoom, Google Meet, and using Skype as a communication tool with students.
South African Secondary School Discussions on Digital Learning and Pandemic Preparedness
International Journal of Higher Education
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 revolutionised the education sector across the world and forced schools to embrace online learning. Schools had to scramble for alternatives to face-to-face learning to curb the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring that learning was not disrupted. With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic cropping up at the beginning of the 2021 academic year and a growing number of teachers contracting the virus, schools were forced to close temporarily or adjust learning models to continue with remote teaching and learning. This required schools to deal with the challenges of infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, as well as provide learners with access to technology and reliable internet connections that would allow them to study remotely and prepare teachers for online pedagogies. To this end, this study explored secondary teachers’ experiences with the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and their readiness to em...
European Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Education
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-COV-2) in December 2019 disrupted traditional forms of teaching and learning centred on face-to-face and in-class instruction. Governments enforced social distancing measures characterised by stay-at-home strategies and the closure of schools and other learning facilities. The government of Zimbabwe adopted radio broadcast as the primary tool for lesson delivery during the COVID-19. Contextually, Zimbabwe's radio signals are only accessed by 29.1 percent of the entire population, with weak to no reception in some regions, especially those in the south. While radio access is low, mobile phone ownership per household is over 90 percent. In light of the contextual dynamics, the study examined available technologies to deliver educational content during the COVID-19 lockdown as the government declared radio broadcasts as the primary tool to support teaching and learning. The study utilised an adapted Technology Acceptance Model as the theoretical framework. Secondary school teachers from the southern region were drawn through random sampling to participate in the survey to gather their opinions and practices. The study results revealed that teachers preferred to use smartphones and computers/laptops for teaching rather than radio. The study identified barriers such as lack of infrastructure, cost of data, lack of connectivity, lack of access to computing devices, and the institution's culture. The results could influence policymakers in adopting digital media for teaching, and this will equip learners with 21st-century skills. Continuous professional development of teachers should aim to improve their digital skills.
Exploring teachers' challenges of online learning in Covid 19 at rural schools
Using the Desktop research to analyze data and to generated a hypothesis, this research examines the issues learners from rural areas in South Africa experience in the circumstances of the pandemic, A new way of living and learning poses unprecedented problems for rural students. With the latter being characterized by the primary usage of internet. As employed participatory action research to gather data. For rural learners in South Africa, What are their educational challenges, and how may online learning will be improved in the context of COVID-19 because of limited access to high-speed internet? According to the study's' findings, In South Africa, people are relying heavily on strong internet connections as there is no end in sight of the current pandemic is impacting rural students more than those who live in cities.