M.Ed. / From the researcher’s experience as well as in the literature on continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) it seems that teachers in South Africa in general, but in particular technology teachers experienced problems with CPTD. With this in mind, TechnEd launched the Catalyst Project in 2003 with the financial support of Anglo Platinum in the Bojanala Region of the North West province in South Africa. The Catalyst project entails the CPTD of technology teachers from 130 schools which takes place at one central venue (so-called school-focused CPTD). A literature study was done in which a variety of international CPTD models, as well as a model that focuses on the process of developing appropriate CPTD programmes for technology teachers in a South African context were considered, and criteria for sound CPTD were identified. The criteria were used to develop the TechnEd’s school-focused CPTD programme. Although TechnEd has been offering schoolfocused CPTD in partnership with trade and industry, as well as with a department of education to technology teachers, it was still unknown how these teachers experience the workshops. The purpose of this research was to describe a CPTD model where partners from trade and industry, a department of education and a higher education institution are involved, and to determine the teachers’ experience of the CPTD intervention. The research questions addressed in this research were: 1. What are the training needs of technology teachers in South Africa? 2. Which criteria for CPTD can be derived from existing CPTD models? 3. What is the teachers’ experience of the CPTD?An evaluative case study, which drew on qualitative research methodology, was conducted. The participants in the research were technology teachers who are participating in the Catalyst project. Data were collected through the observation of the teachers during the various workshops, open-ended questionnaires (questions were adapted after each workshop to try and get the richest data possible) and interviews. The data were analysed through the constant comparative method in order to derive findings. The main finding is that the teachers experienced the workshops as rewarding and fruitful. This finding is supported by four further specific findings, namely: 1. Teachers felt empowered by the workshops through the development of their technological knowledge (both conceptual and procedural) as well as their pedagogy. 2. Teachers experienced the workshops as being conducive to learning among learners. 3. Teachers experienced the accompanying learning and teacher support material (LTSM) as well as the materials and tools, supplied during the workshops, as informative and helpful, and have a need to use it in their classrooms. 4. Organisational aspects (some over which TechnEd had control, and some over which the department of education had control) regarding the workshops were part of the teachers’ experience. In contradiction to the earlier reference that teachers found CPTD too generic, it seems that teachers experience TechnEd’s CPTD with a specific focus where they are supplied with customised LTSM, material and tools that they can implement in their classrooms, and where they are orientated and trained in the underlying (school and content) knowledge and pedagogy, as rewarding and fruitful.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:6924 |
| Date | 04 October 2010 |
| Creators | Engelbrecht, Werner |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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