5.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
5.2.2 THEME TWO: USING THE ARCHIVE FOR LEARNING AND
5.2.2.1 Pedagogic strategy
information you need to amend or to put more…
…Because you also have you own explanation, you can explore more and you can say quite a lot of information with one picture…
…They [learners] can add or put their opinions…
This refers to the coding and recoding by the community of participants, adding to the richness of the analysis. Others went to the extent of suggesting that music and colour should be included in the digital archive. This idea is similar to the views of other researchers that digital archives can be made more interesting if the archives are made more graphic and comprehensible by incorporating diagrams, pictures, and videos available on the web, or by enabling educators to give lessons on-line (Education Technologies, 2008).
The digital archive should include knowledge generated across all stake holders and be made available to wider audiences to promote society‟s well-being. It could provide the community with easy-to-use, credible, interactive, relevant, private, and secure information that could theoretically be used to improve health in schools and ultimately in the entire community (Neuhauser & Kreps, 2003).
5.2.2 THEME TWO: USING THE ARCHIVE FOR LEARNING AND
captions, deliver critique, and suggest appropriate ways of treating HIV positive people.
The collection of photographs is therefore seen as a concrete prompt to open up the discussion around HIV-related stigma:
…I can use it for my Life Orientation class. When I want to teach about HIV, I can allow them to talk about the collection, take one picture and talk and just talk about this issue of HIV and anything you can say... …Then they [can] come up with some ideas on the HIV stigma. Because even in [other] subjects you can use those pictures, because those pictures talk, they talk anything you want them talk...and objective - help learners understand stigma using the picture in the classroom and that how all learners should help each other in eliminating the stigma…
Education and life skills training in schools are fundamental to effecting appropriate behavioural changes among youth. Educators are a crucial link in providing information about HIV and AIDS and therefore need to acquire good teaching strategies (Kelly, 2002). UNAIDS (2002) suggests that national AIDS programmes should aim to provide school children with AIDS education addressing effective prevention, non- discrimination, and care and support for people with HIV and AIDS. However, issues of sexuality and AIDS education are often not discussed with children and young people in schools due to religious, social, or cultural sensitivities to sexuality, HIV and AIDS.
Moreover, the availability of information does not guarantee its application in some places, and schools may teach information on AIDS but not the behavioural skills needed for prevention and support. Kelly (2002) suggests methods that are interactive and participative to be considered because they allow for discussion, reflection and some of form of action. This idea is conveyed by a participant:
…I can give them a task, take any picture, any picture without the captions and let them say anything about the picture and relate it with HIV stigma. What can they say about the picture?
The importance of varied pedagogic strategies, including electronic tools is also mentioned:
…there are issues the teacher cannot tackle but if the learners by using the digital archives, it is easy for them to see because I, I must be honest there are some learners who [do] not want to see a teacher in front of them but they enjoy watching something so that is why I‟m saying its very important...
The archive can also be used to stimulate critical thinking:
…I can project it; let them read the captions make them critique it, that is, is that the way people who are HIV positive should be treated?
It is clear that educators realise that they have to keep up with the electronic era we live in by introducing computer technology into their classrooms. In this way individuals are encouraged to engage in classroom work.
…the department has introduced the learner-centred, that is, the teacher will just facilitate and the learners, and the learners are hands on. So the teachers have to facilitate and the students do their work. Because most of the time you find the teachers talking, talking, talking, talking (giggles) and you don‟t know whether they are understanding… Now those learners who cannot memorise [recall] I think it will... they can just write, and in the computer there is a lot they can do to respond.
Curriculum 2005 promotes learner participation, activity-based education, flexibility, and critical thinking (DoE, 2002). The participants regarded the archive in use as relevant to the expectations of Curriculum 2005 which emphasises learner-centred participation.
They also envisaged using the digital archive to facilitate group work:
…Yes, when they came into groups I would have placed say a copy of questions for them...
…I think differently, I would put a picture for every group with the intention of further opening them up that group…
The participants also referred to an inductive process of learning, that is, the notion of drawing information from learners and engaging with it, particularly around a sensitive topic such as HIV and AIDS.
…About picture 21 where a young girl is sitting lonely at the doorstep, asking herself why the others are ignoring her. Is it HIV/AIDS that has brought her to poverty or is it because she is clumsy or not. I can give learners a chance to brainstorm before asking them a question that: Why do they think other learners stay alone at their homes? Where are the parents? I can even arrange one of the learners to come to school in a funny dirty look, especially during my period to demonstrate the picture. The demonstrator should be taken from learners who are not disadvantaged in real life. So that learners don‟t get intimidated.
Figure 5.3: Ltph021 from the Learning Together digital archive
A study conducted by Mdunge (2005) also concludes that introducing technology into the learning environment can encourage cooperative learning and student collaboration.
Similarly, in this study, participants alluded to the fact that the use of technology can
lead to possibilities of authentic engagement.