How civil technology teachers teach woodworking practical skills in schools : a case of Ekurhuleni East, South Africa

Abstract

In this Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) date, Technology Education teachers are exposed to a of variety teaching methods to ensure that they practice teaching practical skills effectively. Thus, Civil Technology teachers may use different methods such as practical demonstration of skills, videos and photos for teaching woodworking practical skills in schools. The goal of this research was to enquire how Civil Technology Teachers teach woodworking practical skills in schools at Ekurhuleni East, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to identify a total of Nine (9) Civil Technology teachers to participate in this study. Mixed method research was used where semi-structured interviews and explanatory survey research were combined and integrated as a complementary data collection tool. According to the findings of this study, most of the Civil Technology teachers use practical demonstration of skills as a method to teach woodworking skills in schools. This is because practising the skills in front of the students in the workshop will not only benefit the students but will also develop teachers’ effective teaching skills for woodworking practical skills. The study recommended that teaching and learning time allocation for Civil Technology must be increased so that teachers can be able to demonstrate woodworking practical skills and also monitor hands-on activities. This paper will aid Civil Technology teachers in exploring some ways of teaching that can benefit all students regardless of their class differences when teaching woodworking practical courses.