Abstract:

This article is based on a broader study that investigated physical sciences teachers’ practices during the science curriculum in South Africa. Despite substantial literature on the disparity between policy and practice of curriculum innovations, there is a scarcity of studies that focus on teachers’ classroom practices during the present curriculum reforms. In this case study research, we conducted document analysis on support materials and carried out multiple classroom observations on three teachers from three schools in the same district. Supplementing with excerpts from the original support material, we analyse and integrate our findings into a coherent structure that enables comprehension of typical patterns of teacher practices. There is little room for teachers to make their own sense of the curriculum documents. Though current approaches may assist teachers who are ill prepared to teach effectively, it is a relapse in what are considered best practices according to recent research findings.

Keywords:

Classroom practice, curriculum implementation, curriculum sense-making, curriculum policy, physical science.