Tydens my loopbaan as diereverpleegster aan die Universiteit van Pretoria en in privaat veterinêre fasiliteite en as dosent aan die Fakulteit Veeartsenykunde, heg ek groot waarde aan voortgesette professionele ontwikkeling. In my huidige posisie as dosent in veterinêre radiografie het ek bewus geword van die behoefte in veterinêre fasiliteite om beter stralingsveiligheidspraktyke te beoefen. Hierdie behoefte het vir my die geleentheid geskep om _ wetenskaplik-gefundeerde nie-formele voortgesette professionele ontwikkelingsprogram te ontwerp en te ontwikkel ten opsigte van die bewusmaking en vestiging van _ stralingsveiligheidskultuur onder veterinêre werkers in kleindier veterinêre fasiliteite. Die projek het eerstens ten doel om _ bydrae te lewer tot my persoonlike professionele ontwikkeling as fasiliteerder van leer en om moontlike onderrigstrategieë te identifiseer wat _ positiewe bydrae gelewer het tot die skep van _ stralingsveiligheidskultuur in die deelnemende veterinêre fasiliteite. Tweedens, die professionele ontwikkeling van die deelnemende veterinêre werkers en die evaluasie van veranderde praktyke ten opsigte van die skep van _ stralingsveiligheidskultuur binne die werkplek. Die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die uitkomsgebaseerde kurrikulum is begrond in die sosio-konstruktivistiese leerteorie. Ander onderwyskundige konstrukte wat gebruik is tot die wetenskaplike benadering van die kurrikulum sluit Knowles se aannames en beginsels ten opsigte van volwasse leerders (andragogie) in, die Herrmann heelbreinleermodel, opvoedkundige eienskappe (bydraes) van die 21ste eeu en formatiewe assessering met betekenisvolle terugvoer. Kleinskaalse deelnemende aksienavorsingsbenadering is gebruik om die proses van professionele ontwikkeling, die implementering en verbetering van die nie-formele professionele ontwikkelingsprogram, evaluasie van die implementering van stralingsveiligheidsbeginsels en die identifisering van fasiliteringstrategieë wat moontlike bygedra het tot die skep van _ stralingsveiligheidskultuur, in drie kleindier veterinêre fasiliteite in Pretoria te ondersoek. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Ooreenkomstig een van die beginsels wat in die onderwys in die vooruitsig gestel word, naamlik dat onderwysers lewenslange leerders is, behoort onderwysers hulself voordurend professioneel te ontwikkel, sodat die onderwys kan getuig van kwaliteit onderrig en leer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel moet aan die diversiteit van behoeftes van leerders voldoen en vra dus ‘n kreatiewe oplossing vir onderrig en leer. Hierdie studie handel oor die rol van die departementshoof as begeleier van grondslagfase onderwysers. Navorsing verwys na ’coaching’ en kan dus direk vertaal word met 'afrigting.' Vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie hou ’coaching’ egter meer verband met begeleiding en sal dié term as vertaling dien. Navorsing in die veld van begeleiding in die onderwyssektor in Suid-Afrika blyk egter onbekend te wees. Daar blyk 'n behoefte aan bewysgebaseerde navorsing oor alternatiewe strategieë soos begeleiding te wees. Die doel van hierdie studie is om te bepaal in hoe 'n mate departementshoofde van die grondslagfase binne die wetgewing en die regsraamwerk die onderwysers kan begelei binne die beperkte tyd tot hul beskikking. Die leerteoretiese beginsels van die andragogie, wat ook elemente van die kognitiewe leerteorie bevat, is vir die doeleindes van die studie as vertrekpunt gebruik. 'n Kwalitatiewe interpretivistiese benadering is gevolg ten einde die departementshoofde en bereidwillige onderwysers van vyf privaatskole se ervarings van begeleiding te kon bepaal. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is met die deelnemers gevoer. Die studie het bevind dat die departementshoofde sowel as onderwysers deurlopende begeleiding nodig ag. Die deelnemende skole pas begeleiding meestal informeel toe, sonder ‘n begeleidingsmodel. Die departementshoofde se bestuur en onderrigleierskap is ondersoek en die studie het bevind dat onderwysers ‘n groot behoefte aan monitering en kontrole van hul departementshoofde verwag. Ewekniebegeleiding word weinig toegepas en is nog ‘n onbekende strategie vir die departementshoofde. Begeleiding as deurlopende strategie vir professionele ontwikkeling word verkies bo eendagwerkwinkels, aangesien begeleiding in die skool se spesifieke behoeftes kan voorsien. Die departementshoof as onderrigleier leef die visie van die skool voor, hoofsaaklik deur gedeelde waardes. Die meeste departementshoofde maak gebruik van refleksietegnieke vir begeleiding, maar verlang meer opleiding hierin. In hierdie studie is bevind dat die grootste voordeel van begeleiding daarin lê dat dit probleemoplossende denke stimuleer en nuwe onderrigmetodes aanleer. Begeleiding het bepaalde uitdagings en ewekniebegeleiding word veral deur sommige onderwysers as intimiderend en evaluerend beskou. Die studie het ook bevind dat departementshoofde beperkte tyd vir begeleiding het. Die studie maak laastens die nodige aanbevelings vir begeleiding na aanleiding van die literatuur en bevindinge van die studie. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Beginneronderwysers moet die geleentheid kry om om hul onderwysvaardighede te verbeter en hul professionele identiteit te ontwikkel. Daar word internasionaal ervaar dat beginneronderwysers die onderwysprofessie binne twee tot vyf jaar verlaat indien hulle nie voldoende ondersteuning en opleiding deur mentorskap ontvang nie. Die navorsing word gerig na aanleiding van die primêre navorsingsvraag naamlik: Hoe word mentorskap toegepas tussen die Grondslagfase-departementshoof en die beginneronderwyser? Uit die navorsingsprobleem soos hierbo gestel, is die volgende sekondêre navorsingsvrae geformuleer. Sekondêre navorsingsvrae 1. Hoe word die uitdagings van dissipline en klaskamerbestuur deur middel van mentorskap aangespreek? 2. Hoe kan mentorskap bydra om vakkennis en kurrikulumontwikkeling te versterk? 3 Watter aspekte van mentorskap dra by tot beter gehalte van onderwys en metodiek wat die beginneronderwyser in die klaskamer gebruik? 4. Hoe word mentorskap aangewend in die vestiging van _ verhouding tussen die beginneronderwyser en medekollegas, ouers en leerders? 5. Hoe word onderwysprofessionalisme ontwikkel en versterk deur mentorskap? Die navorser het _ kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gevolg en die navorsings-ontwerp was _ gevallestudie binne _ interpretivistiese / konstruktivistiese paradigma. Die data is ingesamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die deelnemers waartydens hulle oop vrae (hoe? hoekom?) beantwoord het. Die vrae is vooraf opgestel volgens die temas van die konseptuele raamwerk soos geïdentifiseer uit die literatuurstudie. _ Doelgerigte steekproef wat aan voorafbepaalde kriteria voldoen het, is in die kwalitatiewe navorsingstudie gebruik. Die steekproef het bestaan uit skoolhoofde, departementshoofde en beginneronderwysers by vyf verskillende Afrikaanse laerskole in die Tshwane-Noord-distrik van Pretoria. Laerskole is telefonies gekontak en die skole wat beginneronderwysers aangestel het, is geïdentifiseer. Daarna is die skoolhoofde gekontak en toestemming verkry om navorsing by hul skole te doen. Die bevindings en aanbevelings van die studie is aan die deelnemers voorgelê sodat hulle die akkuraatheid en betroubaarheid daarvan kon verifieer. Die navorser het gepoog om die studie te trianguleer deur verskillende metodes te gebruik, naamlik _ literatuurstudie, asook die evaluering en vergelyking van inligting uit semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude om die geldigheid en betroubaarheid van bevindings te toets. Die deelnemers aan die studie se identiteite is beskerm deur van skuilname gebruik te maak – vir sowel die individue as die laerskole wat aan die studie deelgeneem het. My opsommende bevinding is dus dat die voordele van mentorskap legio is en sodra nuwe onderwyser doeltreffend bemagtig word deur mentorskap, hy/sy die geleentheid kry om te groei en ontwikkel om sy profesionele potensiaal ten volle te ontwikkel. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Professional development of teachers is a much-investigated area of research; however, teachers still complain that these endeavours do not cater for their specific needs. This problem arises from teachers‟ need to have more frequent professional development activities whereby it is possible to enhance their knowledge and skills regarding specific areas effectively. Multimedia, in other words the use of various media such as video, pictures, narration and animation, is a possible tool to address certain needs in professional development. Furthermore, the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by making use of a digital versatile disc allows for professional development to occur within a distance mode of delivery setting. This research was done to investigate and understand how Information Technology teachers experience the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by means of digital versatile disc. In order to accomplish this research endeavour, an investigation into the body of scholarly knowledge was executed focused on professional development of teachers, specifically with regard to needs expressed in previous studies. Furthermore, the body of scholarly knowledge regarding the implementation of multimedia as an enhancement to professional development was also investigated in order to synthesise how the researcher should go about implementing it. From the knowledge gained, the researcher developed the professional development digital versatile disc, specifically focused on the programming language Scratch. This programming language is an addition to the Information Technology syllabus and therefore teachers were assisted in their endeavour to acquire knowledge and skills regarding the implementation of such a new programming language. An empirical study was conducted, specifically focusing on the experience of three teachers to determine how they experience multimedia-based professional development. All three participants expressed that they enjoyed the use of multimedia in professional development and that a digital versatile disc of this type had a place in their professional development endeavours; however, a need for personal interaction with the facilitator as well as colleagues still exists. / Thesis (MEd (Computer Science Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Professional development of teachers is a much-investigated area of research; however, teachers still complain that these endeavours do not cater for their specific needs. This problem arises from teachers‟ need to have more frequent professional development activities whereby it is possible to enhance their knowledge and skills regarding specific areas effectively. Multimedia, in other words the use of various media such as video, pictures, narration and animation, is a possible tool to address certain needs in professional development. Furthermore, the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by making use of a digital versatile disc allows for professional development to occur within a distance mode of delivery setting. This research was done to investigate and understand how Information Technology teachers experience the incorporation of multimedia into professional development by means of digital versatile disc. In order to accomplish this research endeavour, an investigation into the body of scholarly knowledge was executed focused on professional development of teachers, specifically with regard to needs expressed in previous studies. Furthermore, the body of scholarly knowledge regarding the implementation of multimedia as an enhancement to professional development was also investigated in order to synthesise how the researcher should go about implementing it. From the knowledge gained, the researcher developed the professional development digital versatile disc, specifically focused on the programming language Scratch. This programming language is an addition to the Information Technology syllabus and therefore teachers were assisted in their endeavour to acquire knowledge and skills regarding the implementation of such a new programming language. An empirical study was conducted, specifically focusing on the experience of three teachers to determine how they experience multimedia-based professional development. All three participants expressed that they enjoyed the use of multimedia in professional development and that a digital versatile disc of this type had a place in their professional development endeavours; however, a need for personal interaction with the facilitator as well as colleagues still exists. / Thesis (MEd (Computer Science Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

A lot of changes have occurred in the Department of Education (DoE) since 1994. These changes require teachers to study, implement and assess learner outcomes while providing meaningful, engaged learning for a diverse learner population. To enable teachers to cope with changes in the education system, training and retraining of educators has become a major focus of the Department of Education (DoE). The Department of Education needs to ensure that training provided equips teachers with new knowledge and skills and thus enable them to provide education of high quality. Through the decentralization policy that characterises the new education dispensation in South Africa, School Management Teams (SMT) are required to see to it that training of teachers yields the desired results. To this end the School Management Team (SMT) should facilitate transfer of training among educators by providing ongoing support and coaching to trained educators. Ongoing coaching represents the concrete involvement of managers (principals) and supervisors (heads of department) in work–related transfer efforts. It appears, however, that SMTs are experiencing problems in facilitating transfer of training among educators in schools. These problems emanate from three key members of the training partnership, viz., managers, trainees and trainers. In general, problems seem to be related to trainee characteristics, work environmental factors, and training design and delivery. As a result, a research was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of SMTs about the seriousness of problems that they experience in facilitating transfer of training with the major aim of coming up with suggestion about how these problems can be eliminated. A cross–sectional empirical survey design using a questionnaire was used to collect data from 70 SMT members in 10 schools. The major findings from the research show that SMTs experience serious to very serious problems in the areas of providing time for professional development activities within the regular school day, giving incentives to educators for practicing skills learned in training, and providing resources that educators need to apply their newly gained skills. The major recommendation from this research concerns the training of SMTs in facilitating transfer of training prior to training of teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

A lot of changes have occurred in the Department of Education (DoE) since 1994. These changes require teachers to study, implement and assess learner outcomes while providing meaningful, engaged learning for a diverse learner population. To enable teachers to cope with changes in the education system, training and retraining of educators has become a major focus of the Department of Education (DoE). The Department of Education needs to ensure that training provided equips teachers with new knowledge and skills and thus enable them to provide education of high quality. Through the decentralization policy that characterises the new education dispensation in South Africa, School Management Teams (SMT) are required to see to it that training of teachers yields the desired results. To this end the School Management Team (SMT) should facilitate transfer of training among educators by providing ongoing support and coaching to trained educators. Ongoing coaching represents the concrete involvement of managers (principals) and supervisors (heads of department) in work–related transfer efforts. It appears, however, that SMTs are experiencing problems in facilitating transfer of training among educators in schools. These problems emanate from three key members of the training partnership, viz., managers, trainees and trainers. In general, problems seem to be related to trainee characteristics, work environmental factors, and training design and delivery. As a result, a research was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of SMTs about the seriousness of problems that they experience in facilitating transfer of training with the major aim of coming up with suggestion about how these problems can be eliminated. A cross–sectional empirical survey design using a questionnaire was used to collect data from 70 SMT members in 10 schools. The major findings from the research show that SMTs experience serious to very serious problems in the areas of providing time for professional development activities within the regular school day, giving incentives to educators for practicing skills learned in training, and providing resources that educators need to apply their newly gained skills. The major recommendation from this research concerns the training of SMTs in facilitating transfer of training prior to training of teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

As in the case of many other local and overseas teacher-training institutions the Postgraduate Certificate of Education programme (PGCE) at the University of Pretoria is a model rich in experience. In this model 60% of the time is devoted to a school-based programme and 40% to the university-based programme. The school-based programme is presented in association with schools. The student teacher is placed in a school for a period of seven weeks and assigned to a teacher who acts as the mentor teacher. The mentor teacher serves as a the link between teaching theory and subject content and also plays a major role in the contextualisation of the classroom learning experiences. The university prescribes various tasks: mentor teacher have to stimulate the inquiry skills and reflective practices of student teachers, manage meta-communication across situation and role, manage learning tasks and create a safe and challenging learning environment to the students. The mentor teacher should therefore not only be a subject specialist in his or her field of specialisation but should also create the opportunity for student teachers to maximise their potential. In this study the focus is on the experience of the teacher taking up the role of a mentor teacher. To fulfil the role of mentor teacher implies that an exchange of identity needs to take place from teacher identity to mentor teacher identity. This prompted the following research question: What is the identity image of a mentor teacher? With subsidiary questions as <ul> <li>What are the identifying characteristics of a mentor? </li> <li>What are the identifiable dynamic processes or stressful situations that have an impact on the identity formation of a mentor?</li></ul> The research could be identified as qualitative in the interpretative paradigm. Data were collected by means of open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews with selected mentor teachers and student teachers. The student teachers assigned to the selected mentors were automatically included in the study. The study was repeated for over a period of three terms, each term with two different teachers and student teachers. To analyse the data, Gee’s (2000-2001) four perspectives of identity, namely nature-identity, institution-identity, discourse-identity and affinity-identity, were used as analytical framework. The results disclosed many indicators supportive of mentor-identity but no fixed mentor-identity emerged. However, the characteristics, functions and responsibilities of a successful mentor in this case study were identified. These characteristics, functions and responsibilities defining the identity of a mentor teacher, could support the school in selecting teachers to take up the role of mentor teachers. In an extended school-based teaching practice the quality of the experience, in most cases, depends on the mentor teachers' beliefs and attitude towards the task. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Metacognition is commonly understood in the context of the learners and not their teachers. Extant literature focusing on how Mathematics teachers apply their metacognitive skills in the classroom, clearly distinguishes between teaching with metacognition (TwM) referring to teachers thinking about their own thinking and teaching for metacognition (TfM) which refers to teachers creating opportunities for learners to reflect on their thinking. However, in both of these cases, thinking requires a language, in particular appropriate mathematical language to communicate the thinking by both teacher and learners in the Mathematics classroom. In this qualitative study, which forms part of a bigger project within SANPAD (South Africa Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development), the metacognitive skills and mathematical language used by Mathematics teachers who teach at two township schools were interrogated using the design-based research approach with lesson study. Data collection instruments included individual interviews and a trigonometric assessment task. Lessons were also observed and video-taped to be viewed and discussed during focus group discussions in which the teachers, together with five Mathematics lecturers, participated. The merging of the design-based research approach with lesson study brought about teacher-lecturer collaboration, referred to in this study as the Mathematics Educators’ Reflective Inquiry (ME’RI) group, and enabled the design of a hypothetical teaching and learning trajectory (HTLT) for the teaching of trigonometric functions. A metacognitive performance profile for the two grade 10 teachers was also developed. The Framework for Analysing Mathematics Teaching for the Advancement of Metacognition (FAMTAM) from Ader (2013) and the Teacher Metacognitive Framework (TMF) from Artzt and Armour-Thomas (2002) were adjusted and merged to develop a new framework, the Metacognitive Teaching for Metacognition Framework (MTMF) to analyse the metacognitive skills used by mathematics teachers TwM as well as TfM. Without oversimplifying the magnitude of these concepts, the findings suggest a simple mathematical equation: metacognitive skills + enhanced mathematical language = conceptualization skills. The findings also suggest that both TwM and TfM are required for effective mathematics instruction. Lastly the findings suggest that the ME’RI group holds promise to enhance the use of the metacognitive skills and mathematical language of Mathematics teachers in Mathematics classrooms. / PhD (Mathematics Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The ongoing debate about the capacity of distance learning (DL) to assist in the development of teaching skills and to improve teaching practice is the focus of many inquiries in the field of teacher education. The practice-based nature of Foundation Phase teaching poses unique challenges for professional development of teachers through DL programmes. In order to address inadequacies identified in the literature and previous research, a practical component was designed and included in the revised version of the Advanced Certificate: Education - Foundation Phase, as part of a bursary project. In 2011 the Northern Cape Department of Education (NCDoE) enrolled 50 practising Foundation Phase teachers for this distance learning programme as the first of three cohorts in the bursary project. A learning portfolio and audio-visual resources, designed according to principles derived from previous research and related literature, formed part of this practical component. The aim was to support teacher applied competence through developing pedagogical content knowledge, self-directedness, and a professional attitude, and through guiding the application of new knowledge and skills in practice. The completed portfolios further served as an instrument for the assessment of teacher performance with regard to applied competence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of the practical component of the revised Foundation Phase ACE programme delivered by the NWU via distance learning with specific focus on the way this component facilitates the development of applied competence and the way the portfolio provides for the assessment of professional classroom competencies of practising Foundation Phase teachers. The study further aimed to put forward a model for the development of applied practice based on the findings of the study. In order to attain the aims of the study, the literature was explored to firstly determine the elements which contribute to applied competence in effective teacher professional development programmes. The literature was further explored to determine what the body of scholarship indicates with respect to programme design features that support applied competence in DL programmes for teacher professional development. An implementation evaluation study was then conducted on the programme by collecting data from 50 Foundation Phase teachers as the first of three cohorts enrolled for the bursary project. Data were primarily collected through multiple qualitative methods including a focus-group interview, individual interviews, written expectations as well as open ended questions of questionnaires. Descriptive data were also collected through semi-structured questionnaires. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis to determine the theoretical and conceptual implications of the profile and teaching context of the Northern Cape Foundation Phase teacher enrolled for the DL Foundation Phase ACE programme, the expectations of these teachers regarding the way the practical component would support their applied competence in their contexts, and the teachers’ experiences of the way the programme component supported the development of their applied competence. The study further determined the extent to which the learning portfolios interrogate the elements of applied competence. Quantitative data collected through semi-structured questionnaires were statistically analysed and served to support the interpretation of qualitative data. The investigation was approached from a constructivist paradigm; an approach that falls under an interpretivist philosophical orientation. Although quantitative methods were used to gather descriptive statistical data in support of the qualitative data, the study is grounded in qualitative research methodology where the concern is with the formative evaluation of the DL programme component The findings strongly confirm the value of such a practical component as part of a DL programme to support the elements of applied competence. However, the way the programme accommodates teacher profiles and teaching contexts will greatly influence the sustainability of the programme outcomes in practice. The findings further show that the portfolio as instrument for the assessment of applied competence requires careful planning and should provide strong guidance in the reflective process to support sustained outcomes of the programme in practice. A suggested model for a DL programme for the professional development of Foundation Phase teachers is based on the findings of the study. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015