The aim of the study was to report and evaluate a programme of teacher development in which the teachers themselves would be actively involved. A case study approach was adopted to monitor the programme of teacher development for history teachers within the context of six high schools in the rural area of Nongoma between July 1992 and December 1993. The teachers worked collectively in identifying, analysing and classifying the needs that were relevant to their particular circumstances. Teachers were observed in real classroom situations and commented on their experiences after working collectively. After being observed in real classroom situations teachers attempted to use teaching methods other than those they had been using before. Teaching methods attempted included group work, the skills-based approach and teaching for empathy. Recommendations were made for further teacher development. These included: putting time aside for professional development for such activities to be successful; assisting teachers during pre-service training to produce cheap teaching aids; and encouraging teachers to identify their needs in the field of professional development. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal introduced a part-time Post-Graduate Certificate in Education programme in 2008, to enable graduate teachers to study part-time in order to become professionally qualified. To date, there has been very little academic research on how these professionally unqualified student teachers acquire professional knowledge informally on the job and from the formal Post-Graduate Certificate in Education programme. This study addresses such a gap in the academic literature by exploring the acquisition of professional knowledge through informal learning from their schools where they are teaching and formal learning from the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. Given that the Post- Graduate Certificate in Education programme may continue to play a pivotal role in the training of teachers, this study has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of how part-time teachers acquire professional knowledge through formal and informal learning. This study, which is located in the interpretative paradigm, used 10 in-depth interviews with Post-Graduate Certificate in Education students (aged 25 to 42), who were purposively sampled to solicit their views on the acquisition of professional teaching knowledge. Grossman’s model of teacher professional knowledge domains proved to be the appropriate lens and heuristic tool for this study, as it offers insights into the acquisition of general pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, content knowledge and knowledge of the context by these student teachers. The findings from the study suggest that teacher learning occurs in both formal and informal places. Drawing from a teacher knowledge model, it can be argued that propositional knowledge is acquired through academic institutions of learning and practical knowledge is obtained in different school situations of learning. Professionally unqualified teachers can learn general pedagogic knowledge and knowledge of context on the job, with the help of dedicated mentors. These findings could possibly be valuable for lecturers who are involved in teaching and preparing learning materials for Post-Graduate Certificate in Education programmes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and other universities. In brief, the findings of the study could perhaps inform the curriculum and delivery of the part-time PGCE programme. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

South Africa stands on the threshold of a new era in education. The separate and fragmented model for the provision of education, which signified a policy of apartheid, is to be replaced by a single unified system. With the adoption of a new interim Constitution (1993), we have, for the first time, formal recognition of human rights, the application of which, will underlie all legislation and administration decisions (Dean in Neon, May 1994:9-10). On 31 March 1994, the 'own affairs' administrations were abolished. In accordance with the interim Constitution (1993), these structures have, however, been retained and will continue until the transition to a new dispensation takes place (Neon, May 1994:20). Progress towards achieving the goal of a unified education system includes, inter alia, the creation of a Department of Education and Training at a national level, as well as the creation of provincial administrations in 9 provinces, each of which will have its own education department (Neon, June 1994:1). The new government stands committed to early childhood development. The care and development of infants and young children is seen to be the foundation of social relations and the starting point of a national human resource development strategy. Policy proposals outlined by the Department of Education in the Draft White Paper recommend that: “The care and development of infants and young children must be the foundation of social relations and the starting point of a national human resource development strategy ..... The new national department is planned to have a directorate for Early Childhood Development and Lower Primary Education, in the light of continuity in developmental approaches to the young child and the need for a reshaping of curricula and teaching methodology for the early years of school …… The year 1995 should be used mainly for planning the development of the reception year……” (Republic of South Africa, 1994:20). As far back as 1981, the De Lange Commission stated that without a corps of well-trained and talented teachers, any attempts aimed at realizing the potential of a country's inhabitants, improving the quality of life of its citizens, promoting economic growth and providing an equal system of education, cannot be successful. No other single factor determines to such an extent the quality of education in a country, as the quality of the corps of its teachers (HSRC, 1981:59 & 180). It is anticipated that the demand for teachers is likely to increase as a result of the phasing-in of compulsory education commencing with the class one child, the introduction of a reception class year, reduction of class sizes to 40 pupils and the enrolment of out-of-school children. Trained manpower will prove to be a major problem and an accelerated programme of teacher education to meet quantitative needs, without compromising quality, will be essential, in order to successfully implement a reception class year, ensure a better distribution of qualified teachers and cater for ever-increasing numbers of school-going children. Major structural changes will, therefore, be needed in the preparation and development of teachers. It is within the context of this background information, that this study has been conducted, namely to develop appropriate teacher-training structures for the foundation phase of education, with particular reference to the reception class year. The specific purposes of the study were:- * to review pre-primary provision; * to review current teacher-training structures and assess priorities and needs for developing appropriate methods of professional training; * to compare pre-primary provision and teacher-training policy with that of developing and developed countries; * to develop strategies to train and accredit teachers through a shortened PRESET structure; * to upgrade existing teacher qualifications through an approved INSET structure; * to analyse the feasibility of the proposed strategies for the KwaZulu-Natal region. The study involved an analysis of the NEPI sectoral reports on Early Childhood Educare and Teacher Education, the ERS and the KwaZulu-Natal Interdepartmental Working Groups' Discussion Documents. In addition, other relevant reports and working papers have also been consulted. Viable options for the training of teachers for the foundation phase of education which emerged from the study were: * the establishment of links between non-formal and formal training programmes; * the development of a modular career path for the coordinated training of teachers through INSET; * the development of a 5-year plan for the phasing in of qualified teachers through PRESET and INSET; * the development of an appropriate course structure; * an outline of governance and control. The main recommendations made in the study include the following:- * the obtaining of a Reception Class Diploma which will allow experienced educare workers to obtain a formally-recognised diploma in reception class education, part-time, whilst currently employed as a teacher; * the recognition of such a diploma should the student not wish to study further; * the upgrading and revitalising of lower primary school teachers currently in service; * the obtaining of a 3-year diploma through an inverted '2+2' teacher-training model which will, inter alia, allow the student to obtain 'on the job' training whilst studying on a part-time basis; * a simplified qualifications structure; * the implementation of a 5-year plan for the phasing-in of qualified teachers; * a collaborative strategy with accredited NGOs who will assist with the training of teachers * a modularised curriculum * the establishment of a Resource and Training Centre for teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, 1995.

This study identified the quality of education in regard to pedagogical content knowledge, personal characteristics of lecturers, and teaching and assessment strategies practices in the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), as experienced by student teachers. The study is an interpretive study following a qualitative approach, and focuses on students' understanding of their lived experiences. This is a case study of Fourth year B.Ed. students registered at UKZN in 2011 for Foundation and Intermediate (F & I) phase. 24 students were selected and had agreed to participate in the study but 15 actually participated in interviews. Student teachers argued that most lecturers employed by UKZN are good quality lecturers. There were some lecturers who were considered poor quality lecturers. Student teachers categorized poor quality lecturers as those who do not know how to teach, those who do not have experience, and those who were always away attending conferences or on sabbatical leaves. Student teachers considered an outstanding lecturer as a fully qualified person who is always on time and available for lectures and consultations. Student teachers claim to have acquired sound pedagogical content knowledge from the university. They concur that lecturers employed various assessment strategies which challenged students' higher order thinking abilities. The study revealed that the most common lecture delivery methods employed by lecturers are lecture method and reading (where the lecturer reads course materials in class). The student teachers noted that these methods were used with minimal variation. There were some lecturers who utilized resources such as overhead projectors while a few used PowerPoint presentations and some engaged students in discussion. Most student teachers regarded teaching practice as a programme which developed their teaching skills, helped them in developing confidence to address audience, and with planning and presenting lessons. But they claim that there was poor organisation of teaching practice. In the final chapter it is argued that quality as experienced by teacher education students in the 4th year is a complex phenomenon which covers especially areas of teaching practice, lecture delivery. This excludes other areas that pivotal in judging quality of high institution of education such as curriculum balance, financial resources and admission criteria. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.

Five field workers and their coordinator of the National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE), an in–service upgrading course for under-qualified teachers in KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, were interviewed to find what meaning and practices informed them in carrying out their work with teachers. This study was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature. Hence, data was collected using semi–structured interviews. No attempt has been undertaken to generalize the findings as the participants were few. This study is warranted and the findings have relevance for future research. The key findings of the study are as follows. a) Guidelines for supervision – NPDE field workers and the NPDE coordinator revealed that the time frame for one day workshops was too short and this did not allow field workers the opportunity to address critical issues pertaining to the supervision process. b) Responsibility towards the NPDE students revealed that the NPDE field workers were not directly involved in choosing the number of NPDE students they had to assess and supervise. c) Professional development with regard to classroom observation – a lack of professional development revealed that fieldworkers had to rely on their own knowledge and reading to prepare themselves to supervise and assess the NPDE students. d) The role of the NPDE field workers in assessing and supervising the NPDE students – the inappropriate title was key element that emerged from the finding. e) Supervision out of class – revealed that this was done once the classroom assessment. f) Collaborative partnerships between students and field workers – partnerships formed seemed to be the key element that emerged from the finding. The partnerships formed was based on love, trust and understanding. g) Experiences of the NPDE field workers – The data revealed that field workers experiences during their supervision and assessment of the NPDE students were very enlightening. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the messages conveyed by principals in one context, that of well resourced schools. The contents of the messages and how these messages are influenced by the context of the schools were interrogated. Also of relevance are principals presenting a desirably, inviting message about the teaching profession. This study is part of the TP120 project that is being conducted by the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal to evaluate the placing of context at the centre of a learning to teach approach. The school environment has become diverse and dynamic since the implementation of changes after 1994. Teacher training institutions are faced with trying to adequately prepare teachers to adapt and adjust. The thinking therefore, is to include diverse contexts as one of the major components in the teacher education curriculum. One initiative to achieve this is to enlist the help of principals, who are the experienced counterparts in schools, to assist university personnel with the training of student teachers. This is done when first year student teachers are taken to schools of varying contexts and where principals are given an opportunity to address these students. The belief is that, what principals say prepares students teachers for the world of work in a particular context. A case study using the interpretivist paradigm was conducted with the participants being principals in well resourced schools. The participating schools and the participants were selected by pre-determined criteria in keeping with the requirements of the TP120 project. The principals’ speeches were recorded and transcribed. Thereafter a discourse analysis was embarked on. The theories that underpin this study are the invitational theory of Purkey and Novak (1996) and the learning to teach approach of Amin and Ramrathan (2009). The findings show that a well resourced context is established and maintained through hard work, dedication, commitment and support of all stakeholders. The messages conveyed by the principals prepare the student teachers for the teaching profession in general and for the well resourced context in particular. The main conclusion of this study is that principals can be an invaluable source of knowledge to student teachers and can assist in teacher training. They articulated a sense of purpose and direction and inspire the student teachers by motivating, encouraging, guiding and inviting them to the teaching profession. Recommendations of the study were that the universities should continue to provide student teachers with the opportunity of experiencing different contexts, principals can be provided with guidelines on what to talk about in their orientation speeches, student teachers should prepare questions to get clarity on issues in particular contexts and principals can be provided with professional development around communicating motivational and inspirational orientation speeches. Recommendations for further research are that a variety of contexts be researched or the student teachers can be interviewed to gauge the exact message that they go away with. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This study examines the knowledge-base of mentors in two South African schools. Working within an interpretivist paradigm this study gained an in-depth understanding of the knowledge, strategies and the sources of mentoring knowledge the mentor teachers draw on to inform their mentoring practices. Data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from school-based mentors. The study seeks to construct an understanding of the mentors professional knowledge base in relation to Shulman’s (1985) model of teacher knowledge and Jones’s (2006) model of mentoring knowledge. The study provides a rich, holistic perspective of the mentoring knowledge mentor teachers say informs and underpins their mentorship practices. Firstly, the findings of this study suggest that the majority of mentors draw on their professional practice and personal experience as teachers when enacting their mentoring roles. A central message conveyed is that mentors must have a deep knowledge of subject matter, curriculum issues and teaching strategies to mentor effectively. Secondly, the findings suggest that mentor teachers draw from their personal values and interpersonal skills to inform their practices. Since the mentors works with adult learners careful nurturing of another’s personal and professional growth in a collaborative and reciprocal partnership based on trust, respect, equality, encouragement is key to the cultivation of healthy mentoring relationships. These findings also suggest that it is important that the mentors’ practices are effective, consistent and underpinned by a knowledge base that can serve as a point of reference when training mentor teachers. In order to ensure this, it is necessary to provide mentors access to adequate formalized training programmes that will equip them with a sound knowledge base for mentoring. Mentor teachers also need to be provided with conditions and resources within their schools that allow them to work collaboratively with each other to construct and extend their knowledge base as mentors. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Despite a national and international focus on the effective implementation of inclusive education, there remains a discrepancy between the desire to provide inclusive education and the realities of providing such an education. Whilst there has been wide-scale teacher development workshops offered by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, the ability of these workshops to provide teachers with meaningful insight into how to implement inclusive education practices in their classroom has been limited. This training has been criticized for being too theoretical and providing teachers with few practical strategies to deal with learners who have barriers to learning. In addition to this, much of the training that has taken place has been aimed at primary school teachers and there is much confusion amongst the teaching body as to how inclusive education can be implemented in the high school. This research studies the state of inclusive education in 6 affluent schools, both government and independent, in the greater Durban area, in terms of the teacher development that has taken place and the level of confidence amongst teachers in providing support to learners with barriers to learning, especially those learners who have learning disabilities. The schools researched are of the privileged few who can afford to invest in teacher development programmes over and above what is offered by the provincial department of education. In spite of this, teachers in these schools have been poorly prepared to meet the needs of learners with barriers to learning in their schools and they have little confidence in their own abilities to teach these learners. Subsequent interviews with senior staff members in these schools reveal that in reality, learners are not receiving the level of support that is being marketed by the Department of Education. Through this research it becomes clear that schools which have successfully implemented inclusive education are those that have taken the initiative to embark on teacher development within the school. The research conducted and an extensive literature review is used to suggest ways of narrowing the divide between the theory of implementing inclusive education and the actual practice thereof. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This research involved the contextual influences on teacher professional expertise in the Central Urban area in Durban. It explores what happens to teachers when their context changes and how they cope with a challenging environment. This study documents and describes a particular group of foundation phase teachers’ experiences in a specific school and how the context of this school influences their professional expertise. The study draws on Dryfus and Dryfus (1986) five stage typology which describes how and why teachers’ abilities, attitudes, capabilities and perspectives change according to the skill levels. An empirical investigation involving a qualitative research methodology was done using the case study method to present this research. The instruments used in this exploration were individual semi-structured interviews with six foundation phase educators and a focus group interview with a group of five foundation phase teachers. A City centre school was used as a sample. One male teacher and five female teachers were selected. All the participants were Indian. Interviews were used because of the need to observe the teachers facial expressions and emotions during the interview. The study was able to identify the various challenges that presented itself to both novice and expert teachers in the profession. The findings are organised under eight themes which are: the conceptions of a novice teacher; the conceptions of an expert teacher; novice teachers and school context; expert teachers and school context; novice teachers and change in curriculum; expert teachers and change in curriculum; the role of experience for novice and expert teachers and novice and expert teachers relationships with peers/leaders and mentors. Emergent findings suggest that both expert and novice teachers experience difficulties in a complex and challenging context are further presented under seven themes in which the researcher did a cross analysis. Cross theme analysis was used to present the findings of a further seven themes which are; conceptions of expert and novice teachers are different, teaching and school context are experienced differently by novice and expert teachers, curriculum change makes teaching challenging for expert and novice teachers, experience is important for expert and novice teachers, every teacher needs a mentor, all teachers are always a novice and the need for flexibility. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This study explored the role of School Management Teams (SMTs) in leading and managing school-based teacher professional development. This was a case study of three schools from Mafukuzela-Gandhi circuit in Pinetown district. Participants comprised twelve Principals, Deputy Principal, HODs and teachers who were involved in one-toone interviews (for principals) and focus group interviews (for deputy principals, HODs and teachers). Data were also collected through observations and document analysis. According to the information from participants, school-based teacher professional development is necessary because in schools there are unqualified teachers, inexperienced teachers and teachers who qualified a long time ago. All these categories of educators need to be trained and equipped with skills and knowledge that would enable them to teach effectively and efficiently. Findings show that SMTs hold meetings to identify specific problems facing teachers in schools with the intention to assist teachers to overcome the problems they face, SMTs organise school-based training workshops. The challenges that face SMTs in executing school-based teacher professional development include: non-involvement of teachers in decision-making; incompetence of some SMTs in running the workshops; lack of cooperation from teachers and negative attitudes of some teachers who do not want to change. The study concludes by suggesting a modified model of a professional development design framework that can be utilised to minimise SMTs' challenges in school-based teachers‟ professional development. / Thesis (M. Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.