Abstract
The phases of post-apartheid curriculum reform starting with Curriculum 2005, to the revisions ushered in by the National Curriculum Statements and the recent Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements display a trend toward increasing prescription in terms of content to be taught and allocation of curriculum time per subject, both of which are useful. In order to prepare school teachers for these ongoing curriculum reforms and an increased assessment burden, the national and provincial Education Departments have held regular workshops and provided bursaries for teachers to embark on academic studies in their teaching field. In addition, estimates are that non-governmental sources have spent R1 billion annually since 1994 on school improvement and teacher development programmes.
Highlights
Despite these factors, teachers’ limited content knowledge (Taylor & Vinjevold 1999) and poor time on task (Hammerness et al 2005) continue to bedevil South African schooling
Recent theories of teacher professional development hold that teachers develop within communities of practice and that two different kinds of knowledge are important: knowledge learnt within teaching contexts and knowledge developed within professional contexts (Hammerness et al.; Fine 2005:382)
Whilst it is the norm for initial teacher education to combine these two knowledge areas, it is rarer for in-service, professional teacher development courses to do so
Summary
Teachers’ limited content knowledge (Taylor & Vinjevold 1999) and poor time on task (Hammerness et al 2005) continue to bedevil South African schooling. This means that in order to develop grade-appropriate literacy, learners are almost completely dependent on their schools to provide them with books, and teachers to use http://www.rw.org.za doi:10.4102/rw.v4i1.24 In terms of work-integrated learning, the teachers receive a set of classroom library books (from an NGO, such as Biblionef or the Zenex Foundation), and hands-on training about the practicalities of implementing an extensive reading programme with their learners, such as setting up accession registers and a book-borrowing system.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
