Pre-service teachers’ preparation program: Is it responsive to the constructivist school curriculum?

Abstract

There seems to be a mismatch between the requirements of schools and how educators are being trained in educator training institutions with regard to the use of constructivist approaches. This article focuses on the degree to which the student teachers were exposed to the constructivist principles during training. The study draws on the experiences of second-year student teachers at one institution in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires and observations were used to collect the data. The findings focused on the four aspects of constructivism: student teachers’ level of interaction; involving students in the planning of learning and assessment activities; connecting and applying mathematics and science to the real-life situation; and accommodating students’ views. The study might have some implications on educator training institutions program designers and educators especially on the aspect of aligning their teaching approaches to the constructivist approaches as required by the school curriculum. The results of this study can help educators in designing effective professional development courses as well as improvement in instruction and content delivery. The study recommends that student teachers be involved in the planning of content to be taught.