5.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
5.2.2 THEME TWO: USING THE ARCHIVE FOR LEARNING AND
5.2.2.2 Interesting ways of learning
lead to possibilities of authentic engagement.
…I think it was useful and the information can be helpful to the learners to challenge HIV…It was difficult but it was quite interesting...
…I even go [went home] and talk about my family so it was a very good lesson and I saw the learners who was enthusiastic they were really looking and you could see that they were expressing themselves they come, they come to even understand this disease now so it was good. When I started I thought it was difficult to give the lesson, it was... it was simple and enjoyable…
Information and communication technologies have been praised for promoting new forms of learning (Strydom, 2009). The use of an online digital archive is possible in school A with Internet connectivity. Waller (2006) further suggests that such technologies and activities have the potential to extend learning in new and exciting ways; in this study to learn about and address HIV-related stigma. Mitchell and Smith (2003) identify the „sick of AIDS‟ phenomenon and propose improved strategies to address the issue of HIV. It is clear from the above quotes that the use of the digital archive with its visual data is part of such an improved strategy.
Independent/individual learning
The possibilities of allocating a computer to individual students (one-to-one) and allowing the students to browse through the collection individually and make their own suggestions on addressing the issue of stigma was suggested:
…They would be reading on their own…
…I think the activities which we [usually] give to the learners sometimes, only the capable students will do the talking and if it is one-to-one everyone will be learning and thinking what am I going to say, and how am I going to write.
…Everyone is working and the individuality… individuality… it will also help stop the laughing at each other…
…He will have time to thinking alone and saying what he wants to say alone, there is no limitation…Everyone is now supposed to stand for himself and do that is what he is supposed to be doing. Other learners are shy you find that, and now he does not want to say things where everyone has to say but if you have an activity where everyone has to do her or his own things no one will hide you can see those who are struggling in English or whatever...
…Let‟s say every learner has digital archive so, let‟s say maybe I‟ve seen that picture then I want to see more, if I‟ve got mine I can just continue looking at them not like looking… watching that [the photos] as a class.
The above highlights an important issue when working around HIV and AIDS in a classroom context. The nature of the topic might prevent all learners from engaging in the discussion, but individual access to a computer opens up the opportunity for all to engage with the stigma at individual levels, and in their own way. Learners can therefore repeat the exercise in their own time and at their own pace (Education Technology Services, 2008).
Today‟s computer assisted programmes are „descendants‟ - of Skinner - the behaviourist‟s programmed instruction (Sdorow, 2003, p.303). Computer programmes can take a learner through a graded series of items at his/her own pace. Though the computers cannot replace teachers, they add another dimension to the classroom (Education Technology Services, 2008; Sdorow, 2003). Similarly, a digital archive which is computer-based can enable learners to learn better and more in the same amount of time (Skinner, 1979). Individual decision making is likely to differ from the decision made by a group, therefore individual learning on issues of HIV-related stigma can allow an individual to reflect on and learn in a different way, suited to his or her needs.
Opening space for debate
Although technology can result in losing the dynamic, interesting, face-face discussion with learners in the classroom, it does have the advantage of allowing thinking and reflection on sensitive issues which are not easily discussed with other learners (Education Technology Services, 2008). Participants also suggested using the digital archive to open up space for learner discussion. When using ICT, learner participation improves because there is often more depth and thoughtfulness (Education Technology Services, 2008).
Participants suggested that the use of a digital archive allows each learner to share ideas and then further discuss it:
…The first thing I would do , I would divide the learners into groups, then I give each of them [learners], group the picture of this boy…each member of a group make a presentation ehm... about what they are discussing in their groups…
They also referred to how it can open up talking about gender-based violence and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).
…They can do a debate whether it is correct for male learner to beat the female learners. Another debate question in group would be whether it is good to be tested for HIV or not...
After watching the lesson tried out by a colleague they had this to say:
…I liked the fact that they are opening up, they discuss things around this stigma…
It is clear from the above that a concrete and visual piece creates space to discuss otherwise silenced issues. Interaction and communication is more effective than one- way communication from the educator. While learners want knowledge and ideas to enhance their lives, at times receiving it in a perceived authoritarian form from educators may be disempowering (Smedley & Symie, 2000). The digital archive allows for tailoring or customising information to the needs of the recipients, in this case, the learners (Neuhauser & Kreps, 2003). The fact that the photographs were created by the learners‟ peers gives them a sense of being relevant and appropriate, and can be used to produce competent future citizens with reliable and adequate information to facilitate informed choices (Feasey & Still, 2006).
However, issues of ethics must be emphasised and observed by the educators as they attempt to engage learners. One participant suggested:
…I will just get them into groups and ask them to discuss the picture. They should explain if they have seen these incidents in their homes. They will discuss about different sick people around their home they have seen around their area.
Expecting learners to draw from their own real life experiences such as HIV is quite sensitive, and therefore an educator needs to know about ethics and care (Rager, 2005).
Questioning learners at such a personal level is not encouraged, unless psychological care is in place (Mitchell et al., 2005; Stuart, 2006). This clearly points to the need for sensitive engagement with learners around issues of HIV and AIDS.
Opportunities to role play
Educator participants also suggested role playing by drawing on the digital archive, as participatory learning. The quotes below point at role play touching on three issues, namely, empathy, problem solving, and agency. Merril (2007) applauds role play for this potential and also for learning by doing:
…let them say how they are going to role-play something which they see in the picture…
…Learners will role-play whereby two boys will find out that they are HIV positive [Figure 5.4]. They can involve people like counselors, also involve people like reverend. They can also involve these two boys. They will have to role-play a sick person because of HIV suffering and how that person is helped.
So I will want them to feel for this sick person. I know that this lesson can help them to understand that, although HIV is dangerous, but it is not good to run away from the sick people. It‟s better to help them and get them around...
…Learners will discuss the issue of the boy and come up with different ideas and then the learners will discuss the characters while they are planning their role play. They, they will discuss the characters and then how to help each other to eliminate the stigma within the school or within a classroom situation...
Figure 5.4: Ltph063 from the digital archive
From the participants‟ suggestions it was clear that role play provides exploration and discovery learning which promotes engaging with content. Genat, Naidu and Fong (2008) in their paper “Shifting perspective about aboriginal health and history: Using digital archives in an online role play”, argue that role play provides learners with educational activities that are situated in meaningful and relevant contexts. The above quotations points to the learners having to study the character, and write a role which means, „putting oneself in the character‟s shoes‟. Acting out characters relevant to their context provides learning opportunities. Similar outcomes can be achieved through performed ethnography (Thomas & Mulvey, 2008), and forum and image theatre (De Lange & Stewart, 2008; Raht, Smith, McEntee, 2009). Such vehicles for story telling are often used in the African context, where oral tradition is important.