The role of cognition in teaching and learning: A case study

A growing body of research has emphasized the important role that prior knowledge, experience, beliefs and attitudes play in the interpretation of policy reforms. Spillane, Reiser and Reimer (2002) assert that teachers use their prior knowledge in making sense of new directives to change their practice, pointing out how teachers arrive at different interpretations of the same policy message, sometimes even misunderstanding the policy intent. They highlight how teachers often are biased towards policy interpretations that fit with their prior beliefs and values. However, few of these studies exist in a third world setting. This article tries to bridge this gap by focusing on a case study that was executed in a South African classroom. The findings suggest that the teacher in this study were largely guided by his own beliefs of what constitutes good teaching and that curriculum policy is constantly shaped, reshaped and adapted to the situation in a process of great complexity.