Post-COVID-19 Teaching and Learning Strategies in South African Schools

Benjamin Damoah ORCID iD  & Bunmi Isaiah Omodan ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.3  No.11 October 2022 Post COVID-19 Special Issue  Article 7 pp.90-103
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp3118 |   Published online 28th October 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a total shutdown of global economies and education institutions to lessen the spread of the virus. Due to strict compliance with safety protocols, educational institutions were duty-bound to shift from traditional face-to-face to virtual classroom teaching and learning strategies. This new teaching approach was unanimously embraced and adopted by all institutions globally. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions has led to the re-opening of mainstream schools. As a result, the study focused on teaching strategies adopted by educators after the lockdown. This study employed an interpretive paradigm anchored on the opportunity to learn (OTL) theory. Teaching and learning strategy is one of the key variables grounded in the OTL. Critical issues emerged from this conceptual paper. Among these was the lack of uniform teaching and learning methods approved by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in the post-COVID-19 era. The teaching approach adopted during the national shutdown mostly benefited learners from affluent homes, lack of digital learning and teaching support systems disadvantaged learners from poor communities. This study recommended, among others, the provision of adequate online teaching resources for implementing blended teaching and learning methods in South African schools.

Keywords: Blended teaching approach, COVID-19 pandemic, Strategy, teaching and learning, South Africa

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Dr. Benjamin Damoah is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Walter Sisulu University in South Africa. He holds a PhD in Education. His research focuses on, Environmental Education, Education for Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Teaching and Learning, Teacher Development, and Curriculum Studies.

Dr. Bunmi Isaiah Omodan is a Senior Lecturer, at Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Education Management and Leadership. His research focuses on Africanised Pedagogy, Decoloniality and Conflict Management.

Damoah B. & Omodan B.I “Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era Teaching and Learning Strategies in South African Schools,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.11 (2022):90-103.  https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022sp3118

© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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