The incorporation of indigenous knowledge into graphic design technology

Abstract

With the single descriptive case study reported on here we aimed to explore incorporating indigenous knowledge (IK) into the teaching  of graphic design (GD) as a part of Grade 9 Technology lessons. Incorporating IK into GD could make the topic more meaningful –  especially for indigenous learners. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for technology incorporates indigenous  technology. A Grade 9 Technology teacher and 7 learners were interviewed. Each participant was interviewed individually at different  intervals using semi-structured interviews. The teaching and learning of GD were also observed during 1 lesson. The collected data were  analysed thematically. The findings reveal the teacher’s limited understanding of CAPS and her lack of understanding that IK was  incorporated into the curriculum. She incorporated IK only marginally in the teaching of GD. She understood indigenous technology but  did not make GD relevant to learners’ cultural knowledge and backgrounds. On the contrary, learners valued IK within their GD activities.  Furthermore, the findings indicate that learners demonstrated their comprehension of IK and its alignment with their background  knowledge, particularly within the context of graphics. Consequently, incorporating indigenous perspectives into Technology could   transform the subject in line with the intentions of CAPS.