The Influence of the View of Nature on Biology Education in Zimbabwe, a Minor Field Study
The purpose of this thesis is to look into the teaching methods and content in Zimbabwean biology education, and the possible influences that the teachers’ view of nature have on this education. The study was performed in and around Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe with eleven observations and six interviews in primary and secondary schools, corresponding to years four to nine in the Swedish compulsory school. My study shows that the teachers’ view of nature is in many parts similar to the Swedish view of nature, but differ in a closer connection to religiosity and in a more every-day-life relation to nature. This is reflected in several of the concepts that view of nature consist of. The view of nature is influencing the content in biology partly. Since science hold universal concepts which are the same all around the world, the view of nature does not influence the scientific parts of biology, but have influence on where the emphases in the education is put. The results show no direct influence of the view of nature on teaching methods, but indirectly influenced by the choice of content.
Sankofa: African Thought and Education
Elleni Tedla, Sankofa: African Thought and Education. New York: Peter Lang, 1995. 236 pp. $29.95, paper. Reviewed by L. Kay Walker and Dickson A. Mungazi, Northern Arizona University. In the four decades since the process of decolonization and political independence began in Africa, African scholars have attempted to evaluate the direction that the continent of Africa has taken in its developmental efforts. Among the questions these scholars have asked as a way of determining that development are: What theory guides African nations as they struggle for development? What are some of the more pressing problems nations of Africa face today? What must African nations do to bring about new institutions that are truly vested in the interests of the people? What kind of governments should these nations have in order to represent the genuine interests of the people? What kind of education do they need in order to influence the formation of new national identities and the emergence of a fresh continental character that will give meaning to the traditions of the past and greater impact to endeavors in the future? This last question is the subject of Elleni Tedla's Sankofa: African Thought and Education. The book is divided into three parts, each with distinctive, integrated features. Part one discusses the interaction between African and Western thought processes and explains how that interaction affects African education and society today. Part two defines some essential concepts and components of both the indigenous and modern African educational systems. In part three, having laid this foundation, Tedla presents her arguments for returning to traditional African values and thought processes as the basis for education in contemporary African society. To understand Tedla's line of argument, one needs to trace both its title and its theme to their beginnings. "Sankofa" is an Akan (Ghanaian) word that means "return to the source and fetch (learn)." Following this, Tedla first urges African educators and policymakers to reach back into the past to rediscover traditions that have been lost to them. Second, she challenges them to renew and refine these traditions so that they will have new meaning for all Africans, not just the wealthy and powerful, in both the present and the future. In Tedla's view, a rejection of colonialism is ultimately a rejection of Western thought process and Western education. This rejection necessitates a redefinition of education to reflect the needs of Africa today and tomorrow. The first step toward this objective is to evaluate the continent's present educational systems within the spirit of Sankofa. The source of this renewal is indigenous African culture, history, and identity-elements that to her suggest the power within African people to shape new directions. By utilizing what is positive in these elements, she maintains, Africans can build a foundation for future development. As such, she proposes that the experiences of contemporary Africans in and out of school reflect a philosophy that is enshrined in its indigenous symbols, including the ritual, music, dance, art, proverbs, poetry, drama, technology, and architecture of precolonial Africa. That these critical features of African culture were neglected by the colonial educational system suggests to Tedla their vitality to the future of Africa. Yet, as she sees it, the challenge before the people of modem Africa is to revive the old ways so that they renew modern institutions for the benefit of all Africans, educated and uneducated, and not simply the wealthy and powerful elites. The acquisition of critical knowledge of African traditions will also require an educational system that is consistent with the contemporary needs of the continent. To fully appreciate this book, readers also must come to terms with the author's understanding of the African concept of spirituality and its role in education. …
The Southern African Environment: Profiles of the SADC Countries
The Southern African Environment provides a comprehensive and up-to-date description of the countries of the SADC region ? Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The area is one of rapid political, economic and social change, and each of the 10 country profiles in this book provides full and detailed information on the physical and human geography, environmental problems, resource base, institutional structures for environmental management and the issues associated with institutional change. Each profile was drafted by local environmental experts and is based on extensive fieldwork and research originally commissioned by the Dutch government. The report provides a unique synthesis of this richly-endowed but troubled region.