In Classrooms

The procedure for implementing CTCA involves featuring the culture, technology and context frameworks in the delivery of every lesson. It follows a 5-step process. These are:

1. Inform students ahead of time of the topic to be learned in class. Ask each student to (a) reflect on indigenous knowledge or cultural practices and beliefs associated with the topic or concept. Students should be made aware that such reflections are to be shared with others in class when the topic is to be taught; and (b) using their mobile phones or other internet-enabled devices, search the web for resources relating to the lesson (first technology flavour of the approach).
2. At the start of the lesson and after the introduction by the teacher, students are grouped into mixed-ability, mixed-sex groups to share individual reflections on (a) the indigenous knowledge and cultural practices and beliefs associated with the topic; and (b) summaries of ideas obtained from web resources. All such cultural and web-based reflections are documented and presented to the whole class by the group leaders. The teacher wraps up by sharing his/her indigenous knowledge and cultural practices associated with the topic.
3. The teacher progresses the lesson, drawing practical examples from the immediate surroundings of the school. Such examples can be physically observed by students to make science real. This is one of the “context” flavours of the approach. The teacher should sprinkle delivery with some content-specific humour.
4. As the lesson progresses, the class is reminded of the relevance of the indigenous knowledge and cultural practices documented by the groups for meaningful understanding of the concepts. If misconceptions are associated with cultural beliefs, they are cleared by the teacher.

At the close of the lesson, the teacher sends a maximum 320-character summary of the lesson (two pages) via SMS or WhatsApp to all students. After the first lesson, student group leaders are to send such messages. This is another of the technology flavours of the approach.