Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education
Year: 2025
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Adopting Problem-Based Learning to enhance Paper-based GIS teaching in a rural learning ecology
Thulasizwe Mkhize, Thabile Zondi, and Zanele Dube-Xaba
ABSTRACT:
Paper-based GIS (PBGIS) teaching in schools has been debated heavily in the Geography literature. This article contributes to that debate because it offers a new perspective on teaching PBGIS in a rural learning ecology: problem-based learning (PBL). Six Geography teachers from four schools in the UGU district, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa were selected to gain insights regarding how PBL could be adopted to enhance PBGIS teaching in a rural learning ecology. The PBL teaching method involves complex real-world problems used as vehicles to promote learners’ learning of concepts and principles as opposed to the direct presentation of facts and concepts. This article is underpinned by the TPACK conceptual framework which has its core premise on the technology knowledge a teacher requires for effective teaching and learning. TPACK realises the integration of technology knowledge (TK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and content knowledge (CK) to create a framework that includes specialised, applied, and situated knowledge that helps us to understand how different aspects of knowledge interact and become integrated. Geography teachers should be knowledgeable about integrating PBGIS, PBL, and geography knowledge to enhance PBGIS teaching in a rural learning ecology. A qualitative research approach, Participatory Action Research (PAR), interviews, and observations were used for this inquiry. The findings showed that using PBL to teach PBGIS engages learners in problem-based, real-life scenarios and promotes collaboration and critical thinking skills in learners to solve real-life problems. The article recommends that geography teachers use PBL to enhance the teaching of PBGIS in a rural learning ecology.
Keywords: Critical thinking, Paper-based GIS (PBGIS), Problem-based Learning (PBL), Real-life problems, Rural learning ecology