Towards decolonising teacher education: Reimagining the relationship between theory and praxis

Heloise Sathorar,Deidre Geduld

doi:10.15700/saje.v38n4a1714

Heloise Sathorar, Deidre Geduld

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38n4a1714

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Abstract

We live in a dynamic world, characterised by major economic, technological and social change. Decolonising teacher education is embedded in a critical approach that aims to create counterhegemonic intellectual spaces in which new worldviews can unfold, in ways that can lead us toward change of praxis. The idea for this article was born out of discussions that took place during the various workshops of our recent curriculum renewal process and provides an explication of the subsequent outcome of the process; the newly developed, integrated Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) curriculum of the Nelson Mandela University’s Faculty of Education. This curriculum is underpinned by a critical, conceptual framework of teacher development, progressing from ‘ bridging ,’ through ‘ becoming ’ and ‘ being ’ towards ‘ belonging ’ as a teacher in the teaching profession. Drawing upon key themes which emerged during our curriculum renewal process, we explore possible strategies to intervene and disrupt various forms of oppression that are manifest in the current composition of a colonised higher education in South Africa. Keywords: curriculum renewal; decolonisation; developmental model; teacher education

Highlights

Twenty-four years after the first democratic elections, it seems as if South Africa like most postcolonial African societies in the past, has entered a grey and murky negative moment (Mbembe, 2016)
4B Developmental Model An analysis of the data gathered during the curriculum renewal workshops, established that there is a need for acknowledging the relevance of the different contexts of the South African schooling system as well as for including local content into the curriculum
The 4B Teacher Developmental model allows us the opportunity to expose our students to the range of different schools in South Africa allowing students to familiarise themselves with the local context and to assist them in making an informed decision about where they choose to teach after completing their studies

Summary

Introduction

Twenty-four years after the first democratic elections, it seems as if South Africa like most postcolonial African societies in the past, has entered a grey and murky negative moment (Mbembe, 2016). That teaching, and presentation methodologies resemble Western strategies that are foreign to 80 percent of the university population and that this hampers their progress They claim that they can still feel the effects of racism in lecture halls and in the rendition of the curriculum and have called for deep curriculum transformation at all institutions of higher learning. Cross, Shalem, Backhouse and Adam (2009) try to cast light on this matter by drawing our attention to the fact that the profile of the South African university student has changed They allude to an important disjuncture between the skills and competences that impoverished students leave high school with, and the admission requirements of the Higher Education Institutions, which follows a performance-driven model. Maistry (2011) agrees with Cross et al (2009) and suggests that there is a need to question how the curricula of universities have responded to the changing profile of their students

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