HED4805 Assignment 1 (DETAILED ANSWERS) 2026 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

HED4805 Assignment 1 (DETAILED ANSWERS) 2026 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references ,. Extract from the text: Education through practice Indigenous people of Southern Africa developed their own methods of sharing knowledge through teaching practical skills. In most instances, teaching was by showing, with demonstrations of different skill sets for the younger generation to observe. In southern Africa, the San people, who survived by hunting and food gathering for thousands of years, used Stone Age tools to cut up animals they had hunted. Even though the San were using Stone Age technology, they were very skilled in killing animals. They used, among others, bow and arrow, snares, and slow-poison technologies to hunt. The bow and arrow method was used to hunt large game such as antelope, buffalo, or eland. The hunter would stalk the game to within about 20 metres, which is the approximate distance an arrow can fly. Instead of killing animals instantly, which was not easy because the arrow had no fletching and often missed the target, the San used poisoned arrows to kill the game. The animal would be poisoned to death slowly, which took from a few hours to a few days, depending on the size of the animal. The sources of the poison were caterpillars, larvae of a small beetle, poisonous plants, and snake venom, which were put on the arrow. When the arrow struck an animal, the hunters would have to track it until it died. Once the animal fell, the San would cut around the poisoned area and discard it. The Khoi were also skilled at making such weapons. Archaeologists discovered that the San also used snares to capture prey as early as 70 000 years ago (Wadley, 2010). Traps and snares have an economic dimension since they reduce the costs of a long search by bringing the animal to the hunter, rather than requiring the hunter to go after meat (Wadley, 2010). Since the prey was captured remotely, these devices created time and space for hunters to engage in other activities, that included social activities such as rituals. Among the many ways to trap animals, the San would dig funnel-shaped pits near rivers, place a sharp stake in the middle, and cover the hole with branches. The San hunters were expected to observe and understand prey behaviour before they set the snare. The snare that the San set was designed to function without human agency. It provided evidence that indigenous people could grasp and incorporate action across space and time (Wynn & Coolidge, 2003). HED4805/101/0/2026 21 Snares are also an apt demonstration of high-level cognition because they operate out-of-sight, but not out-of-mind (Wadley, 2010). This non-formal technology education was passed from generation to generation. The hunting techniques the San used had been in existence for centuries and were passed on to younger generations. These hunter-gatherers were able to locate seasons of the year and knew precisely where the plants they used for food and for medicine grew. They would collect the plants and roots without damaging the environment. A skill of the San was to follow the migration of antelope in order to locate where they could get water so that they would not go thirsty. They used bowls for cooking, whereas the Khoi used vessels for storing water (Bollong, Smith & Sampson, 1997). Traditionally, the San used empty ostrich eggshells to store water which they carried as bottles (see Figure 3.3). These bottles were often buried in sand to keep the water cool. Indigenous people also used personal ornaments such as beadwork. The making and use of ostrich eggshell beads was common during the LSA and the MSA. In South Africa, ostrich eggshells, which were also used in beadwork, were discovered in Boomplaas and dated back 58 000 years (McBrearty & Brooks, 2000). The oldest beads discovered were made from seashells. The Khoi were also experienced in craftwork. Most of their bags, clothing, and blankets were made from animal skins. They used reeds to make mats for sleeping and for covering their houses. Experienced men and women demonstrated the skills of their craft to inexperienced youth who learnt through observation. Both demonstration and observation are fundamental elements of critical thinking, and they enhance the child’s cognitive skills. Practical skills provided by elders enhanced indigenous people’s ability to learn independently as they observed, listened, and participated in different activities. Learning through language socialisation A distinct characteristic of education for indigenous people was language socialisation. Language acquisition produces culturally competent members of society, and in the process of acquiring language, children learn about cultural practices. Schieffelin and Ochs (1986:163) posit that language socialisation is about socialisation using language (learning to speak a language to communicate and mix with others in a society) and using language to acquire social competence (learning to use appropriate language within specific/different social contexts). It is through language that the child can construct his or her social world. Language socialisation views thinking as a social rather than an individual psychological phenomenon. Cognition begins at the start of social contact in the child’s life. Learning is conceptualised when a more expert person is engaged with a novice individual through social interaction (Vygotsky, 1978). Lave and Wenger (1991) explain that language socialisation goes beyond just an individual interaction to participation of the child in broader communities of practice. It emphasises the importance of children’s involvement in participatory roles in their communities. In brief, language socialisation helps us understand how learners are socialised into appropriate language usage, as well as socialised through language to engage in community cultural routines, activities, and expectations (Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986). The absence of historical recordings of indigenous people’s literature before colonisation has been one of the greatest challenges to anthropologists, historians, and linguists. However, one cannot ignore the role that language played in the socialisation of indigenous people. A German linguist, WHI Bleek, and his sister-in-law, Lucy Lloyd, attempted to document the literature of the San. Although there are disagreements among linguists and anthropologists about Bleek and Lloyd’s work on the San language (e.g. issues about transcription and translation into English, and the power relations between the informant and the researcher), a careful study of 22 the Bleek and Lloyd records suggests that language played an important role in socialising indigenous people. Older people enjoyed storytelling, proverbs, and tales that were interwoven with a sense of social and individual identity. Question 1 (25) With reference to the text provided, answer the following questions: 1.1 Explain what is understood by the “indigenous” people of Southern Africa. (15) 1.2 Critically expound your perspective on the commonly held view that indigenous people were ignorant of technological skills and practices. (10) Question 2 (25) Language socialisation views thinking as a social rather than individual psychological phenomenon. Cognition begins at the start of social contact in the child’s life. Learning is conceptualised when a more expert person is engaged with a novice individual through social interaction (Vygotsky, 1978). Lave and Wenger (1991) explain that language socialisation goes beyond just an individual interaction to participation of the child in broader communities of practice. Write an essay in which you analyse the implications of language socialisation during precolonial times, with reference to the modern learning theories of Vygotsky (1978) and Lave and Wenger (1991). Question 3 (25) Evaluate the role of Christian missionaries in influencing the struggle for political liberation in South Africa during the colonial period. You may select any missionary as an example to illustrate your answer. Question 4 (25) Write an essay in which you critically discuss some key foci of “the history of education” and illustrate why this field of study is important in teacher education.