Blending Social Media, Learning Theories, and Teachers' Knowledge in Promoting Innovative Pedagogy: SA Private Higher Learning Institutions

Introduction And Background To The Study

This paper was building on the findings of a conference paper presented at Kwazulu Ntatal conference as an attempt to reflect the scholarship of teaching and learning as a way of advancing teaching innovation and research excellency in Higher Education (KZN Conference, 2016; Musundire, Ndoziva & Mumanyi, 2016). The study also makes a follow up of the findings of the proceedings of the 23^rd Annual National Congress of the Association for Mathematics Education in South Africa aimed at restoring the dignity of Mathematics Learners through quality teaching and learning (AMESA, 2017: 53; Musundire, 2017). These studies identified the main challenges faced with the rapid development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) in many countries including South Africa as associated with strategies that ensure a comprehensive blending and complete link of teachers’ pedagogic content knowledge, and technological pedagogic content knowledge (Bozalek, Ng’ambi & Gachago, 2013, Musundire, et al., 2016, 2017; Musundire, 2017, Musenge, 2018). This include implementation of social media pedagogical content knowledge in conjunction with relevant learning theoretical perspectives which in turn will produce a university practitioner who is prepared to practically guide, facilitate and support students into proper learning (Bozalek, Ng’ambi & Gachago, 2013, Musundire, et al., 2016, 2017; Musundire, 2017, Musenge, 2018).

This study is specifically aimed at reflecting perceptions of South African (HIL) practitioners regarding implications of blending HIL practitioners’ level of social media technological competencies with pedagogical content knowledge in conjunction with the cognitive, behavioural and constructivists’ theoretical perspectives (Bozalek, Ng’ambi & Gachago, 2013, Musundire, et al., 2016, 2017; Musundire, 2017, Musenge, 2018). One of the main challenge in this rapid development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in most Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) in most countries including South Africa is lack of implementation of staff developmental strategies that ensure a comprehensive blending and complete link of teachers’ pedagogic content knowledge, and technological content knowledge. Online social media teaching and learning in conjunction with relevant learning theoretical perspectives seems a current pedagogic innovative strategy for ensuring enhanced quality of teaching and learning. These learning theoretical frameworks are expected to produce a university practitioner who is prepared to practically guide, facilitate and support students into proper learning (Bozalek, Ng’ambi & Gachago, 2013, Musundire, et al., 2016, 2017; Musundire, 2017, Musenge, 2018).

Pedagogy is an approach to teaching that refers to the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social and psychological development of learner’s skills (Vygotsky, 1978, Piaget, 1954). Basing on this view, pedagogical approaches are broken down into learning theoretical perspectives which include cognitivism, behaviourism and social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978; Piaget,1954). Research agree that an effective teaching and learning process should embrace all the three. In other words, effective pedagogies involve a range of techniques, including whole-class and structured group work, guided learning and individual activity (Kermis, Atkin & Wright, 1977; Fisher, 1983; Vygotsky, 1978, Piaget,1954). Effective pedagogies focus on developing higher order thinking and metacognition, and make good use of dialogue (Vygotsky, 1978, Piaget,1954).