**16. Learners' perception of the ability of teachers to relate subject content knowledge to real life contexts**

Researcher into teachers' professional development push the rhetoric of highquality instruction for quality learning in classrooms [12–14, 20, 35]. The clarity seeking questions asked by the learners highlighted the deep inquest for knowledge that is not provided in the textbooks. The learners' questions exposed the limitations in the teacher's competence to think beyond the textbook knowledge, and as a result learners demonstrated their dissatisfaction and loss of hope and trust in their teachers. The data highlighted that teachers in the two classrooms relied on the perennial approach to knowledge and teaching strategies, which do not take heed of learners' perspective or viewpoints, hence teachers were caught off guard when confronted by questions requiring in-depth explanation of scientific knowledge. [24, 25] highlighted that a perennial view of knowledge promotes reproduction and transmission of factual knowledge, and does not provide room for contestations, however, the behaviour demonstrated by learners confirmed John Dewey's counter view on knowledge, which pointed out that learners are interested in knowledge that relates to their daily life experiences. The attitude of the teacher to learners' questions dented the trust in the teacher-learner relationship, which according to [19, 28, 32] is fundamental to effective learning. The learner-knowledge interaction revealed that teachers lacked the ability to relate content knowledge to the real-life situations and context. This research exposed that learners think beyond the book's factual knowledge and were able to challenge the teacher-knowledge interaction, which proved to be meaningless to the learners' search for in-depth understanding.

#### **17. Data from teacher-knowledge interaction**

Reflections on the lesson, according to the evaluation form, the teacher was expected to allow learners to ask questions for clarity purposes. The data presented in two columns show the learner-teacher interaction about the plane earth and the positions of the sun, east and west.

## **18. The comments and reflections of the teachers on the learning content and expositions**

**131**

*Connecting Pedagogical Interactions in the Twenty-First Century Classrooms: The Role…*

*"Yes, I know it, I am a graduate meaning I have a degree in Geography".*

*When you wake up in the morning you can see this for yourself."*

*"I do get your point, but you should not worry about this for now".*

*"This means that what they say is true and you should believe it".*

*"In Natural Science, yes we know that the sun does not move".*

*"There is only one sun. Do not be confused by these two".*

*"The textbook is written by expects and scientists they have conducted* 

*"The forces of nature make the sun to rise up from the east and set on the west.* 

*"Yes, the sun moves up from the east and move down in the afternoon and sets in* 

*"All what you should know is that the sun rises from the east. East is the direction* 

*"There scientist in the Natural Science have tested this and discovered that it to be* 

Despite the proposals of the Department of Higher Education in the renewal curriculum policy guidelines, to ensure that pre-service and in-service teachers are equipped with the competence to master theoretical knowledge as well as contexts and conditions under which knowledge is produced in the field or discipline. This work revealed that teachers' knowledge interaction lacked evidence of epistemological principles highlighted by ([33], 25) and [27] which include: logical thinking; the application of deductive reasoning or syllogism that consists of premises. The first premise is called a major premise that comprises generalised perceptions of the reality, second is, the minor premise; the particular perceptions, and third is the conclusion. The questions asked by learners about the rising and setting of the sun were based on the generally accepted fact, which was confirmed by the subject teacher and the authors of the textbooks for Social Sciences for grade nine, on the other hand learners turned the fact into a hypothesis to be verified. The teacher– learner interaction was viewed by learners to be an opportunity to test the hypothesis to verify the truthfulness of the fact about the rising and setting of the sun. The teacher was unable to assist learners to understand the scientific procedures which led to the conclusion presented in the textbook. Instead, the teacher forced learners to accept the facts as presented in the textbooks. The disposition revealed that the role of the teacher in classroom is to perpetuate traditional practices in learning that promote regurgitation and memorisation of facts, and these traditional practices applied by teachers are in contradiction to the constructivist principles

*true, that the sun does not move only the planets rotates around the sun".*

**19. Teachers' adherence to transmission factual knowledge**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96401*

*the west".*

*experiments".*

*on the compass".*

*"The sun is the source of energy for the biosphere".*

*"The sun is static, meaning that it does not move".*

*"Yes, the sun rises from the east, read your Social Science textbook".*

*"The earth is round and revolves around the sun".*

*"The earth is the circumference, with imaginary lines".*

*Connecting Pedagogical Interactions in the Twenty-First Century Classrooms: The Role… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96401*

*"The sun is the source of energy for the biosphere".*

*Teacher Education in the 21st Century - Emerging Skills for a Changing World*

with contradictions in both fields of knowledge production.

**content knowledge to real life contexts**

**17. Data from teacher-knowledge interaction**

positions of the sun, east and west.

**and expositions**

**15. Ability of learners to integrate knowledge across subject domains**

The ability to connect factual knowledge from Natural Sciences and Social Sciences highlighted in the data provided confirmed the Piaget theory of cognitive development, which states that learners at the age of ten and up, are able to think at an abstract level and generate hypotheses. The critical thinking and evaluation skills on the truthfulness and worthiness of scientific facts in the Natural Science and Social sciences about the positions of the sun and the earth was to learners a theme

**16. Learners' perception of the ability of teachers to relate subject** 

Researcher into teachers' professional development push the rhetoric of highquality instruction for quality learning in classrooms [12–14, 20, 35]. The clarity seeking questions asked by the learners highlighted the deep inquest for knowledge that is not provided in the textbooks. The learners' questions exposed the limitations in the teacher's competence to think beyond the textbook knowledge, and as a result learners demonstrated their dissatisfaction and loss of hope and trust in their teachers. The data highlighted that teachers in the two classrooms relied on the perennial approach to knowledge and teaching strategies, which do not take heed of learners' perspective or viewpoints, hence teachers were caught off guard when confronted by questions requiring in-depth explanation of scientific knowledge. [24, 25] highlighted that a perennial view of knowledge promotes reproduction and transmission of factual knowledge, and does not provide room for contestations, however, the behaviour demonstrated by learners confirmed John Dewey's counter view on knowledge, which pointed out that learners are interested in knowledge that relates to their daily life experiences. The attitude of the teacher to learners' questions dented the trust in the teacher-learner relationship, which according to [19, 28, 32] is fundamental to effective learning. The learner-knowledge interaction revealed that teachers lacked the ability to relate content knowledge to the real-life situations and context. This research exposed that learners think beyond the book's factual knowledge and were able to challenge the teacher-knowledge interaction, which proved to be meaningless to the learners' search for in-depth understanding.

Reflections on the lesson, according to the evaluation form, the teacher was expected to allow learners to ask questions for clarity purposes. The data presented in two columns show the learner-teacher interaction about the plane earth and the

**18. The comments and reflections of the teachers on the learning content** 

*"Yes, the sun rises from the east, read your Social Science textbook".*

*"The earth is round and revolves around the sun".*

*"The earth is the circumference, with imaginary lines".*

**130**

*"The sun is static, meaning that it does not move".*

*"Yes, I know it, I am a graduate meaning I have a degree in Geography".*

*"The forces of nature make the sun to rise up from the east and set on the west. When you wake up in the morning you can see this for yourself."*

*"Yes, the sun moves up from the east and move down in the afternoon and sets in the west".*

*"I do get your point, but you should not worry about this for now".*

*"The textbook is written by expects and scientists they have conducted experiments".*

*"This means that what they say is true and you should believe it".*

*"All what you should know is that the sun rises from the east. East is the direction on the compass".*

*"In Natural Science, yes we know that the sun does not move".*

*"There is only one sun. Do not be confused by these two".*

*"There scientist in the Natural Science have tested this and discovered that it to be true, that the sun does not move only the planets rotates around the sun".*

#### **19. Teachers' adherence to transmission factual knowledge**

Despite the proposals of the Department of Higher Education in the renewal curriculum policy guidelines, to ensure that pre-service and in-service teachers are equipped with the competence to master theoretical knowledge as well as contexts and conditions under which knowledge is produced in the field or discipline. This work revealed that teachers' knowledge interaction lacked evidence of epistemological principles highlighted by ([33], 25) and [27] which include: logical thinking; the application of deductive reasoning or syllogism that consists of premises. The first premise is called a major premise that comprises generalised perceptions of the reality, second is, the minor premise; the particular perceptions, and third is the conclusion. The questions asked by learners about the rising and setting of the sun were based on the generally accepted fact, which was confirmed by the subject teacher and the authors of the textbooks for Social Sciences for grade nine, on the other hand learners turned the fact into a hypothesis to be verified. The teacher– learner interaction was viewed by learners to be an opportunity to test the hypothesis to verify the truthfulness of the fact about the rising and setting of the sun. The teacher was unable to assist learners to understand the scientific procedures which led to the conclusion presented in the textbook. Instead, the teacher forced learners to accept the facts as presented in the textbooks. The disposition revealed that the role of the teacher in classroom is to perpetuate traditional practices in learning that promote regurgitation and memorisation of facts, and these traditional practices applied by teachers are in contradiction to the constructivist principles

underpinning the curriculum, knowledge integration and contextual construction of knowledge.

The questions from learner-knowledge interaction confirmed the view expressed by [29, 31] that priori or common sense is the basis of knowledge production. Learners' priori exposed the dimension which the teachers were not aware of and had never expected from grade nine learners; hence the teachers were unable to address those questions.
