A Shift from Traditional Teaching to the Development of Complex Thinking in a Technology Classroom in South Africa

Traditional teaching in technology classrooms failed to concentrate on the new technologies conducive to the development of the in-depth understanding of design concepts and procedures of an information system. Thus the needs of learners in technology classrooms were neglected, concentrating mainly on low-level thinking. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of web technology in shifting from the traditional way of teaching to the development of learners' complex thinking in the technology classroom. This research was based on a qualitative, action-research approach in which individual interviews, focus group interviews, observation and documents were used to gather data (Yin 1994; Merriam 1998). A total of 17 students at an institution of higher education were observed and their experiences were investigated through a focus group interview, journals and essays. The findings of this study reveal the necessity for explicit teaching of complex thinking through Internet technologies and the collaboration with the business world in order to promote the teaching of thinking skills. Findings indicate a need for a design of information systems to be used in conjunction with practical and cognitive apprenticeships. This will enlarge and strengthen the insight into the technological design and set a learning environment conducive to thinking.

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