Abstract
From text: Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes are expected to prepare teachers who have the capacity to develop conceptually strong, responsive and inclusive teaching practices. The extent to which ITE programmes have been successful in this endeavour has been questioned both internationally (e.g. Lancaster & Auhl, 2013) and within the South African context (Council on Higher Education [CHE], 2010). In retrospect, it is not surprising that the review of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes conducted by the CHE between 2005 and 2007 found that the sector was experiencing tension between “the theoretical and conceptual rigour expected of a professional degree and the vocation-specific training of teachers” for classroom readiness (CHE, 2010: 103).
Highlights
Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes are expected to prepare teachers who have the capacity to develop conceptually strong, responsive and inclusive teaching practices
Presentations ranged from considerations of the overall conceptual coherence of ITE curricula and benchmarking quality to contributions that grappled with academic depth and rigour in specific subjects and courses offered in ITE programmes
This special issue of Perspectives in Education arises from that symposium and provides a space for teacher educators who have been working to strengthen academic depth and rigour associated with ITE programmes to share their research, conceptualisation of courses, pedagogical innovations and assessment strategies with the sector more broadly
Summary
Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes are expected to prepare teachers who have the capacity to develop conceptually strong, responsive and inclusive teaching practices. In response to the findings of the CHE review and the imperative to strengthen ITE pro grammes offered to South African pre-service teachers, a symposium entitled ‘Academic depth and rigour in initial teacher education’ was jointly organised by four universities in South Africa. This symposium, held in October 2014, attracted 125 delegates from 18 South African higher education institutions (HEIs). Before introducing the papers included in this special issue, we make a case for why academic depth and rigour in university-based coursework is crucial for preparing prospective teachers for their work within the South African context
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