Basket weaving presentation

All four Physical Science teachers, Cf, and I participated in the presentation on weaving. Using a similar introduction approach the ECM challenged us to name a few utensils which she was going to use during weaving. She said:

Baluka maselo bonse, zinu zisebeliso haiba kazikweina kaluki iselo, kabemba kangu asikakalola zuna. Cwale izizinaha mbuti muzikuwa. Muwoola kuzikuwa mumushobo wenu. (All basket weavers need these tools and materials, for these materials here can you identify their names please, and you can use the names from your languages) Figure 5.6 below shows some of the expert community member’s utensils and materials needed and used during weaving process.

89 Figure 5.6: Utensils and materials for weaving

The ECM appreciated our contributions and moved on to explain the use of each. The weaving grass is coiled around to give the basket its shape. The dyed palm leaf strips are used to decorate the baskets. Lastly, a container of water is needed to soak the dyed palm leaf strips; the water is also used to moisten the weaving grass to increase their flexibility.

Next, the ECM demonstrated how to make a knot and she said, “Kaselo kathungiwa kokusebelisa kakulwani konke, muka nsumina abuna” (When we start weaving, we start with a single palm strip, out of it we make a knot which is the centre and this is how we do it) – with ease she overlapped the palm leaf strips, and she had her knot! The Cf asked a question immediately after the ECM’s demonstration: “After tying this knot we can see that the palm strip has changed? Is this change on the overlapped palm leaf strip an example of chemical or physical change?” T3 responded: “This is a very clear physical change, it is very easy to untie it”. Cf came back emphasised that: “Colleagues if we are to adopt this kind of teaching into our classes, our learners would probably be afforded an opportunity like this to visualise these

Awl Weaving grass

Soaking palm leaf strips Dyed palm leaf strips

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changes. This means they will no longer depend on memorising facts about chemical and physical changes”. Figure 5.7 shows the knot made by the ECM.

Figure 5.7: Demonstrating knot making

As a participant observer, I posed a question to the participant teachers to focus their attention on chemical and physical changes: “To make a basket the ECM will be putting together the grass woven with dyed palm leaf strips to make a basket, is this process illustrating a chemical or physical change?” Without hesitation T2 responded saying: “Since the basket is a new substance, we can say the process illustrates a chemical change”. T1 disagreed saying: “To me it is a physical change for there is no chemical reaction that took place. Both the palm leaf strips and the weaving grass have not changed on the woven basket”. T2 commented: “Oh, I overlooked that, I understand indeed for a chemical change, the products (basket) characteristics should not be the same as reactant, and by the way palm leaves and grass are not reacting”.

Initially T2 had a misconception about the characteristics of chemical changes, that they form new substances. Thus, the teacher may also have some misconceptions of other science concepts. In this vein, Kimberlin and Yezierski (2016) support the use of multiple representations in chemistry to dispel learner misconceptions. During the presentation, the indigenous technology helped T2 to dispel her misconceptions and improve her conceptual understanding of chemical and physical changes.

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During the presentation T2 wanted to know why the ECM had to soak the palm leaf strips and she asked: “Can you tell us why are you soaking the palm leaf strips in a container of water?”

The ECM did not answer T2, but, instead, she gave each one of us a palm leaf strip and told us to try and tie a knot. She said: “Mwa bona muna ntendela line ekoto? Mwense mulisumine!

(You saw how I made the knot; I would like each one to make a similar knot using these dry palm leaf strips). This activity guided us to discover that one cannot make a knot using the dried palm leaf strips. The strips were hard and broke easily (brittle), as we tried to make knots.

The teachers learnt that soaking the palm leaf strips was a way of softening them. This change in the property of the palm leaf strips was an opportunity to teach the concept of physical change. For instance, soaking the dried palm leaf strips involved rehydrating or restoring their moisture or water potential (Tuned-Akintunde, 2008). Figure 5.8 below shows the ECM soaking the palm leaf strips.

Figure 5.8: Softening the palm leaf strips by soaking

From my observations, I learnt that the flexibility of the fibres contained in the palm leaf strips allows them to be woven into tight coils and small holes made using an awl. However, the palm leaf strip’s flexibility is easily lost when exposed to the sun once again – this is the concept of reversibility. According to T1, the flexibility of the palm leaf strips is attained due to the movement of water molecules into the palm leaf strips. He said: “Colleagues I can see biology in this activity, we can teach osmosis using these palm leaf strips”. Since the dried palm leaves have low water potential, during soaking, water molecules move into the palm leaf strips which make the strips flexible and suitable during weaving.

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After making the knot, the ECM began weaving. She started with a base and added a little grass and the basket kept growing and she kept on adding more grass carefully. The process entailed a constant feed of grass, continuously coiled and woven with the palm leaf strips. The ECM reminded us and said:

Kuluka maselo musebezi, usaka pilu telele, kakulwani nakakulwani hakaselo mutwilwilo hape kaselo konke uhinda 3-4 mazuba njikakamana, kahena kumatamata feela kuti ciwa mana. (The process of weaving is an activity that needs patience, because every palm leaf strip on the basket is stitched skilfully and an average basket can take three to four days before it is complete)

T3 asked: “What are the reasons that you cannot complete a basket in a day or two?” The ECM responded:

Kaniticuti mwndi muntu kawooli kumana kuluka kaselo mwizuba lyonke kappa muobile. Ibakalya mpili lilyehisa kuluka chobukwala nenzanenza. Muntu heena alukahana a swanela kubika muhupulo kumikabiso iyendelele. Chobubeli, kukotama, tufwanga mabote musihali onse ukotamite kukalala abuna, kuteleza musana namakosi.

(I am not saying someone cannot weave a basket in one day or in two. The thing that can delay someone, the first thing is the quality of the baskets. The symbolic and geometric patterns woven into a basket need quality time and focus of mind. However, the chief reason is that we endure lots of pain in the back and neck, as we spend long hours bending)

Observing the ECM’s seating posture during her practical demonstration of weaving, we could see why weavers complain of neck and back pain. They sit with their head and neck bent downwards as they focus on the basket they are weaving on their laps. It is the weight of the head and shoulders that strain the neck and back, a pressure they cannot sustain for a long period as the ECM stated. From a physics perspective, this indigenous practice can be used to mediate the learners’ conceptual understanding of concepts such as force or movement.

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Figure 5.9: ECM weaving the base of a basket weaving and T2 observing

Observing how the ECM joined and wrapped the weaving grass to make it longer, T2 said: “I see this as another good illustration of a physical change”. T1 added: “Definitely this is a good one and to reverse it you just untangle the weaving grass”. The ECM was also asked by T4,

“When you have weaved a few lines and then you detected an omission in your pattern and it does not follow so well. What do you do?” The ECM responded and said: “Kutatulula feela kanini hateni no ku luka hande nde moi yeyendelele deco yateni” (I simply undo the pattern, and then weave it again). T1 reflected that: “This is about reversibility”.

T4 asked the ECM an interesting question saying: “How do you know when to add weaving grass?” The ECM said: “Kubonahala, muline utanga kuba munini cwale ni bika twani tobile kappa totatwe. Nisibika ahulu mulaine uneneha hape mane buhuba kwiziba (I use observations, this line you see, once it starts to become small, and then I add some straws. If you add too many straws the line becomes too big again, so it is easy to adjust to the right size). It is evident from the ECM’s explanation that she was using a scientific skill of observing in her indigenous practice (Haimbangu, Poulton & Rehder, 2017; Van Niekerk, 2016); this also confirms school science concepts embedded in local knowledge.

As the ECM started weaving, there was almost total silence; seemingly the process of weaving requires the undivided attention of the weaver. For instance, the weaver attentively observes when to add the weaving grass, when to begin a pattern with which colour, and when to end a particular colour. As a participant observer, I reminded the teachers that our next workshop back at school involved coming up with school science concepts emerging from these two presentations by the expert community member. Immediately after that message, the teachers began discussing school science concepts which were coming out while the ECM was weaving.

For instance, T1 contributed that: “Oh there are many science concepts as here. Apart from chemical and physical changes, I see forces in action, pushing the awl to make a hole, pushing

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and pulling the palm leaf strip through the hole made”. T2 added: “There is also pressure here; she is applying a force on an area”. It could be argued that the teachers’ conversations here showed their greater understanding of the link between school science and the science in the indigenous technology of weaving.

The ECM wove one flat basket for demonstration purposes and she used the easiest weaving technique (skill) that allowed her to complete this basket in two days. In her storeroom, she had many ready to be taken to the market for selling. She allowed the teachers to view her artistic work (see Figure 5.10).

Figure 5.10: Shows the ECM’s collection of baskets

Through participatory observations and from the conversations exchanged during the expert community member’s presentations I came up with three themes as shown in Table 5.2.

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Table 5.2: Themes that emerged from the data and supporting theory or literature

I now discuss each of these below.

5.3 Teachers’ Conceptual Understanding of Chemical and Physical Changes Enhanced