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'Leaders as professionals : what does this mean for teachers?' : a case study of five teacher leaders in an urban - primary school in KwaZulu-Natal.Govender, Sylvia. January 2011 (has links)
The aim of this research is to understand the views of teachers regarding
professionalism and leadership. As a researcher, I also wanted to investigate whether
teachers were given opportunities to lead within a professional capacity in their
schools and to examine the factors that promote the development of these teacher
leaders as professionals as well as those factors that hinder such development. In view
of the recent public servants strike in 2007 and 2010, teachers have been brought
under the spotlight in a very negative manner. The teaching profession has been
viewed with scrutiny ever since and most if not all teachers were being painted with
the same brush of, lack of integrity and respect.
The purpose of the study was to examine how teacher leaders performed leadership
roles and also to establish whether such roles were within professional parameters or
not. There was a need to understand how teacher leaders understood the term
professionalism as well as to ascertain what factors promoted and hindered the
development of teacher leaders as professionals.
The study was conducted within a qualitative, interpretive paradigm and took the
form of a case study of five educators, who were two Heads of Department and three
post level one teachers’ in an urban primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. Data
collection techniques included semi – structured individual interviews, a focus group
interview, questionnaires and observation. Data were analyzed using thematic content
analysis.
The findings of the study revealed that although teachers were actively engaging in
leadership roles, very little was done to develop these teachers as professionals. This
study acknowledges that management members of schools play a crucial role in the
development of teacher leaders as professionals by creating opportunities for this
professional development. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.
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Challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the foundations for learning with special reference to the literacy learning programme in disadvantaged contexts.Gouws, Joan. January 2011 (has links)
This study explores Foundation Phase (FP) teachers’ experiences of the implementation of the Foundations for Learning (FFL) (South Africa Government Gazette, No 30990 2008) in the Literacy Learning Programme (LLP) (2008). FFL is the new curriculum policy for FP that consists of Numeracy and Literacy Learning programmes. This policy was introduced to address the challenges teachers had with the previous curriculum policy, Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). The aim of this study is to find out how FP teachers experience the implementation of the FFL.
This is a qualitative study located within the interpretive paradigm. Informants were purposively selected from two primary schools located in a rural and a township area in KwaZulu-Natal. Eight FP teachers teaching grades R-3 participated in two focus group interviews. To generate data from these informants, semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary analyses were used as instruments.
Findings reveal that teachers had to make changes to their teaching approach as a result of the implementation of the FFL and they experienced feelings of being swamped by all the changes that seemed to be too much to understand. Teachers reported difficulties in understanding and accepting new processes, procedures and expectations associated with educational changes.
It is clear that it is impossible to successfully implement change in an education system if serious investments are not made in the professional development of teachers (Hargreaves, 2003). Without sufficient, training, guidance and mentoring in the implementation of the FFL in the LLP, teachers feel de-motivated and anxious as they do not understand the FFL document and thus feel threatened by the way they taught in the past. Teachers fail to understand the requirements set out in the FFL document because the prescriptions are too vague.
The study recommends a closer relationship with the Department of Education (DoE) for guidance, regular monitoring, mentoring, workshops and training to be conducted by the DoE. In addition, experienced and perhaps competent FP educators, lecturers and non-governmental
organizations, e.g. Read Educational Trust could assist in the implementing strategies to ensure effective implementation of the FFL campaign in the LLP.
The implications of the findings from this research should be useful to educators, curriculum development specialists, textbook writers and teacher trainers to gain a better understanding of the needs, understandings, challenges and opportunities teachers experience in the implementation of the FFL in the LLP. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.
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