Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...

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Look again. Is it nails?
It is ..... use screws (shows a screwing-in motion with hand).
Ja its screws not nails. What else? Think about the colour?
It is brown.
Ja, we can see it's brown - but is it painted brown?
(answers in IsiZulu)
(responds in Isizulu) -Ja it's called a varnish, a varnish. When you paint, its
clear. It's a varnish.
Ben proceeded to ask pupi Is to describe how the desk was made. This created some
confusion - slipped into mother tongue to explain. Wrote the following questions on the
board:
1. Where wi 11 the desk be made?
2. Who will make the desk?
3. What tools will be needed to make the desk?
Pupils worked in pairs.
After five minutes, Ben called for answers. Pupils were able to establish that workers in a
factory would make the desk, and that saws, hammers and screwdrivers would be used to
make the desk. Ben drew and labelled three circles on the board. Each circle represented a
factor of production; namely; raw materials, labour, and capital. He proceeded to group the
inputs (wood and screws) under "raw materials"; workers under "labour" and saws, hammers
and screwdrivers under "capital".
T:
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T:
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T:
Where do we get the wood?
It come from trees.
Yes from trees, and where did the metal to make the screws come from?
It come from the ground.
It comes from nature. You know nature. It's natural. So we say it's a natural
resources. Everybody say 'natural resources'
Whole class: Natural resources.
T: Yes it's natural because it comes from nature.
Ben proceeded to label workers as "labour" and established that workers received salaries
and wages.
T:
As you can see (points to the board) the hammer, saw and screwdriver and
even the building we call capital. It's capital these three.
Three questions on board:
1. Who decides how many workers to employ?
2. Who decides how many desks to make?
3. Who gets the profit when the desk is sold?
(Pause) Ben calls for answers to the above questions. Answers include 'owner', 'boss',
'manager', and 'businessman'. Ben carefully writes the word 'entrepreneur' on the board,
taking time to get the correct spelling from the note in front of him.
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