M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The Department of Basic Education initiated continuing professional development (CPD) for quality professional development aimed at supporting and revitalising teaching. Also, to encourage teachers to engage continually in life-long career development leading to improvement of learner achievement. Current research studies indicate that there is lack of knowledge and skills among teachers to internalise goals for professional growth and expand capacity to create the desired performance. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the following question: What are teachers’ experiences of continuing professional development in a secondary school in Tembisa, in order to improve their teaching practices and school effectiveness? The study employed organisational behaviour in education and experiential learning as a theoretical framework. A qualitative research approach was applied and an instrumental case study employed as a strategy to focus on a group of six teachers and four School Management Team (SMT) members. Data was collected through three focus group interview sessions with secondary school teachers and an interview with the SMT as a group. A thematic data analysis was applied. Four main themes emerged as a result of the thematic analysis and interpretation, and revealed teachers’ understanding of CPD, the experiences with CPD as teachers engaged in CPD programmes such as content-subject-based training workshops and the CAPS training programme, improvement of teaching practice, and the SMT creating opportunities for teacher learning and development. A thematic analysis of the interview data with the SMT as a group revealed two themes which were: understanding CPD, and SMT views on creating opportunities for teacher learning and development. Continuing professional development (CPD) in education is reflected as an ongoing experiential learning process by which teachers participate in learning through continual attendance of content-subject-based training programmes, curriculum training workshops, and through registering for those certificates and degree programmes offered by universities. Teacher learning takes place in a cyclical process that consists of experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting on experiences through the application of acquired knowledge, improved skills and changed attitudes. The findings of the study revealed that teachers experienced CPD as an ongoing process in which learning took place through attendance of content-subject-based training and CAPS training workshops in which collaborative learning played an important role. Even though teachers indicated that their teaching practice was improved, they highlighted the challenges experienced regarding CPD programmes. These challenges included the limited time allocated for CAPS training and content/subject training meetings held after working hours. It was clear that the allocated times for teacher training workshops were not realistic for adequately empowering teachers with knowledge and teaching skills for effective teaching practice in real classroom settings. Teachers took ownership and leadership in their CPD by going an extra mile to seek assistance from professionals with specialised knowledge in Mathematics and commercial subjects, and they collaborated with colleagues from other schools to learn different approaches to teaching. CPD enhances teachers’ ability to set their goals for teaching and it broadens their knowledge and teaching skills, giving them the opportunity to reflect continually on their professional growth and experiment in teaching practice.

M.Ed. (Education) / Learning can be described as an infinite action which also implies training. There is no limit. no end to it. It is a continual process. These actions of learning and training can be applied to the teaching profession. No university or teachers' training college can fully train the prospective teacher during the pre-service training period. There is always new knowledge to be mastered. Theoretical knowledge and institute and school practice may prepare the student for his future career, but there is no guarantee for success. Having mastered the required skills at one of the above mentioned institutions, they must be put to practice in a real school or class situation. This is done during the school practice component of in-service training and once the student has started his career. Many kinds of problems may then be experienced by the student or recently qualified teacher. There may be problems in connection with matters such as adaption, administration, teaching methods or discipline. With the necessary guidance these problems may successfully be overcome. The person who is in the best position to provide this guidance is the head of the department. He may then act as a tutor or a mentor. Even experienced teachers who have been teaching at the same school for some time, newly appointed but experienced teachers and teachers returning to the profession, may encounter similar problems and may need guidance or in-service training. The headmaster is responsible for initiating an in-service training programme at the school. The different heads of department are to assist him in this, especially as far as subject matters are concerned. The ability to provide in-service training, to gain knowledge, to learn something new, however, also implies training. The headmaster and the heads of department should, therefore, receive the necessary training and guidance to enable them to successfully execute an in-service training programme. This training can be best provided by a training institution, such as a university or college. There should be a close link between these institutions and the different schools; between pre-service and in-service training. These two components of training should be presented as a continual process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the responsibilities of the head of department under the guidance of the headmaster, as far as the in-service training of the teachers in his department is concerned. This will provide the teachers with the oppurtunity of gaining knowledge and obtaining the required didactical skills. The possibilities of pre-service training are investigated with, among others, reference to content and modi, the link between these two kinds of training and between schools and training institutions. Recommendations are made in connection with the implementation of in-service training of didactical skills and the responsibilities of the head of department as far as in-service training of students and teachers at secondary schools is concerned. It is evident that the head of department, together with the headmaster, can play a very important part in the in-service training of teachers.

D.Ed. / This thesis is a report of a research project conducted in a Technikon within the higher education sector of South Africa. Teachers in this sector are facing major challenges due to the transformation of higher education, as well as the introduction of an Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) paradigm. Teachers thus need to adapt their teaching practice to include the principles and practices of this educational paradigm and are continuously required to improve their teaching practice to face the aforementioned challenges. This study was aimed at investigating how teachers could be assisted to improve their teaching practice. It primarily aimed at seeking a way to assist lecturers of the Technikon to improve their teaching practice, while it was hoped that I would also improve my own practice. An action research project was conducted during which I was planned, designed and implemented a teaching skills programme. Literature on teaching and learning, with specific emphasis on theories and approaches that support learners' meaningful learning, was reviewed. Furthermore, literature on staff development policies, approaches, practices and the OBE paradigm provided the theoretical foundation for the various phases in the action research project. After conducting a needs analysis to determine the perceived teaching needs of lecturers, all lecturers at the Technikon were invited to attend the teaching skills programme as a staff development initiative. Data of what was experienced, observed and learnt during the process were noted in my research journal. After I had analysed and interpreted the data gained I reflected on the experiences and learning, as well as on the value of the programme. From the research notes I learnt more about the participants, the programme and the process, while I learnt more about myself as a teacher and as a researcher. These reflections informed the findings, namely that insufficient focus is placed on teaching and learning initiatives. Furthermore, it was found that staff development policies did not seem to provide sufficient support for such initiatives. Literature indicated that these findings were not unique to the Technikon, but also seemed to be experienced in other higher education institutions. Based on the above findings it was concluded that teachers could be assisted in improving their teaching practice by focusing on their learners' meaningful learning and by continuously updating their teaching knowledge and skills. It was therefore recommend that staff development policies be revised and that teachers and managers in higher education refocus on the core business of higher education institutions, namely, teaching and learning. Finally, it was recommended that managers, teachers and staff development units accept coresponsibility for improving teaching practice in higher education and work in synergy to achieve this common goal. The co-responsibilities of role-players in academic staff development have been presented diagrammatically within a framework. The importance of all role-players taking their responsibilities is illustrated. The resulting coresponsibility amongst role-players is argued to emphasise the importance of synergy amongst them towards achieving improved practice. I argued that all three role-players needed to collaborate and support one another if they were "to move in the same direction" towards improved teaching practice. The scholarly contribution of this study lies firstly within my living theory, which is a culmination of the learning journey as well as the results thereof. My living theory of teaching practice and that of academic development is culminated into the framework.

M.Ed. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Science Education) / South Africa is one of the global hotspots of both biological and ethnic diversity. Southern Africa is rich in angiosperm species, and the angiosperm species count is considered to be 21,817. The traditional medicinal systems of different cultural groups and their herbal, animal and mineral materia medica have ancient origins which may date back to Palaeolithic times. Indigenous knowledge (lK) and cultural practices in many areas of the country provide learners with a good "entry" into the scientific world. A true constructivist teacher will realise the importance of building new knowledge on learners' existing knowledge. This will show the learners how relevant science is to our daily lives. It might also open future career opportunities, and develop learners' entrepreneurial skills. This fact is acknowledged by the new curriculum (the National Curriculum Statement), and Life Sciences teachers are expected to infuse their teaching with indigenous knowledge. When these new policies were created, policy makers focused on the what of desired educational change, and unfortunately neglected the how (Rogan & Aldous, 2009). Teachers often have limited understanding of the curriculum changes. The textbooks used in class give little or even no proper information about indigenous knowledge. Whereas some textbooks still provide information on IK in the form of examples, hardly any attention is given to teaching strategies and practical work that can be done in the classroom. My study highlights the problem that many teachers simply ignore IK, due to their lack of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in this regard, and the lack of guidance and support from the Department of Education. As many teachers were trained in the "old method" of teaching and not in the pedagogy prescribed by the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), many of them do not have specific knowledge about the indigenous knowledge that they need to impart to learners. Those who are fortunate enough to have sufficient knowledge of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), often lack the pedagogy. Once again, we need to go back in history to understand why teachers find it so difficult to teach IK. In the apartheid era it was a taboo to mention traditional medicine in the classroom. Our traditional medicine was often replaced by Western medicine. Black South Africans were robbed of their identity. Under the Suppression of Witchcraft Act, indigenous belief systems were undermined and in most cases referred to as pagan (heathen) belief systems. As a result, indigenous belief systems were viewed as something that derails society. This study focuses on a number of issues related to the incorporation of indigenous knowledge in the classroom. One of the main concerns is teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Two additional factors also make the introduction of indigenous knowledge difficult in the classroom: (a) the multicultural South African society (whose IK should be entertained?), and (b) the nature of science, and many teachers' perception that the introduction of IK would constitute pseudo-science. The question arises whether it is possible to introduce indigenous knowledge in a scientific way in the Life Sciences classroom. Is an IK focus compliant with the syntactical nature of Life Sciences, namely an emphasis on inquiry-based approaches? A second question arises: Are South African teachers able to teach IK in such a context? As mentioned above, many Life Sciences teachers find it difficult to follow heuristic approaches where learners engage with discovery learning making observations, formulating hypotheses, developing experimental designs, collecting and interpreting data, and making conclusions. Now, in addition to this challenge, teachers need to follow such a pedagogy to investigate indigenous knowledge claims. It is just so much easier for teachers to rely on "chalk and talk" approaches, as a study of Petersen (2010) reveals...

D.Phil. (Curriculum Studies) / The study highlights the conceptual and practical challenges in providing initial teacher education that promotes, amongst other factors, coherence with the prescribed school curriculum. It investigates a History Teaching Methods (HTM) course offered by a university in Kenya to clarify how course related documents, lectures, students’ microteaching lessons, and perceptions about these three aspects obtained from interviews with a teacher-educator and students addressed what the course had to provide as possibilities for the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills that would enable students to teach effectively the secondary school History and Government (H&G) subject. Through a review of literature on curriculum coherence and theories on ethical pedagogic practice and communication combined with primary data collected in Kenya, I explain the nature of the challenges in the HTM course. The challenges, I argue, are primarily a result of overlooking the disciplinary requirements of History. The findings suggest that misconceptions about professional responsibilities of the teacher-educators are largely responsible for the descriptive approach that characterises the pedagogical practices they promoted. The absence of engagement with disciplinary requirements in lectures contributed to the nature of the devices that were used by students to teach. In order to clarify the nature of these pedagogic challenges, I adopted a generic qualitative approach to the research. The direct contact and discussion with a teacher-educator and students enabled me to explore their understanding of the requirements of teaching history at school level. Through observations of lectures I established how the teacher-educators considered these requirements as important to the teacher education they provided. Through observing students’ microteaching lessons I was able to establish their understanding of the nature of historical knowledge and how it ought to be approached when teaching. The study contributes to the general field of teacher education by having devised a conceptual orientation that can be drawn on to establish what is necessary to teach school history effectively, namely, the importance of normative critical thinking and contextual sensitivity. In this study, I indicate the pedagogic processes that need to be considered and constantly in place to teach history by drawing on relevant paradigms and conceptual orientations belonging to the discipline. I found that teacher-educators underplay the importance of these factors and view them as having to be considered by academic entities that are directly involved with history as a discipline. It is due to this oversight that the programme seemed to emphasise descriptive and procedural orientations in initial teacher education. I conclude by suggesting that a course that educates student teachers for, amongst other reasons, teaching H&G at secondary school in Kenya, has to consider firstly, what is essential to history teaching and learning as a discipline and secondly that effective history teaching has to be informed by reasoning that is not only relevant to History as a discipline but also its practicality to the objectives of school history.

This project comprises a case study that I conducted at New Horizon High School in Butterworth, a school with a good reputation for its excellent academic standard. It is about Staff Development, which I have identified as the most vital component of effective teaching. Although there is a need to ensure that there is an adequate supply of teachers in schools, the greatest challenge lies in the development of the quality of those who are already in service. This enormous challenge seems to have been forgotten by many school leaders. I hope this study will be beneficial to school principals and teachers who want to be successful in their teaching careers in the 21st century.

This contextual analysis is concerned with the study of the Basic Education Teacher's Diploma In-service Curriculum. It is based on the following assumptions: firstly, that the BETD (Inset and Preset) represents the Namibian Educational Reform in the realm of Teacher Education. Secondly, it is assumed that the BETD as a vehicle for reform in Teacher Education should yield teachers who are capable of change and development. Based on the above-mentioned assumptions, this analysis examines this Teacher Education course/programme against some criteria pertinent to its philosophy. A critical analysis of its curriculum in terms of some core subjects, as well as its practical implementation, will form the basis of this scrutiny. Secondary to the above, this analysis also intends to reflect this sociohistoric and economic context in which the BETD has been designed. An underlying motive in this analysis is to study the dynamics between the philosophy, which represents the heart and intention of the Namibian educational reform on the one hand and implementation which in turn delivers the end product or final outcome of the course on the other hand. This analysis should also fit into the current debate between conservatives who claim that the BETD lacks content and is therefore inferior, and those who claim that the course adequately prepares teachers for the needs of Basic Education.

This study focuses on the processes of creating and maintaining a community of teachers in an Israeli high-school. Ten high-school teachers were self-selected to participate in a yearlong professional development focusing on learning and teaching. The participants directed their own professional development by collaboratively sharing and reflecting on their practice. The methodology used for data gathering is rooted in the case study tradition within the philosophy of naturalistic inquiry. The weekly meetings throughout one academic year were recorded and transcribed. Teachers were interviewed three times: at the beginning and end of the year, and two years later, to leam about reasons for participating and evaluation of the community, and to allow further reflections on their experiences in the community. Two main concepts - community and caring relationships - emerged from group conversations and personal interviews, and were used as the study's analytical tools. Three topics were revisited in our conversations throughout the year: teacher-students relationships, teaching strategies, and evaluation of learning for both teachers and students. The conversations revealed the processes of creating an atmosphere of care, trust and openness that enhanced the development of genuine dialogue that turned this group into a caring community. The caring relationships encouraged teachers to make changes in their teaching and suggest changes at the school level. These relationships enhanced teachers' ability to leam from their encounters and helped them develop awareness of the importance of such relations within the educational context. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of teachers' community. It suggests that communities (a) support teachers by enhancing dialogue among them; (b) contribute to social change within the limited context of the school; and (c) add to the construction of knowledge about teaching, learning, and schooling. If schools aim to teach recognition of diverse voices where people strive to care for and understand each other, then teachers should leam and exercise these behaviours. The most viable space for the occurrence of such learning is within teachers' communities. This study, then, gives strength to arguing for the pursuit of communities in school. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

M.A. (Media Studies) / One of the problems facing formal education in South Africa today is that. of coping with the educational needs of a fast developing country. An important recommendation of the De Lange Report was that educational technology should be utilised to alleviate this problem. Educational television, especially the use of video, is regarded as one of the most important technological media which can assist in this matter. A study was undertaken in the use of educational television in developing and developed countries in resolving educational problems. The role of teacher training in the successful implementation of educational television was also scrutinised. It was found that teacher training played a decisive role in the successful use of this medium. Teachers inadequately trained in the use of the medium lacked the knowledge to use it properly in the classroom. They also showed a resistance to the medium. At· present educational television in South Africa is aimed at non-formal educational needs but from 1 April 1986 the SABC will commence the broadcasting of formal educational programmes. In this study it is thus recommended that training courses in the use of educational television should be instituted at all "teacher training centres in South Africa and that all educational departments should give attention to the formal and non-formal training of in-service teachers .. Guidelines for a training course are suggested in this study. The contents of such a course would include components like television literacy, television and cognition, the analysis and evaluation of programmes, integration with the various subjects, the use and compilation of· support material and small scale television production. It is also recommended that the course should comprise lectures in theory and practical work sessions. -These practical work sessions would be regarded as the most important part of the course.